Finale
by rara314
Summary: After Lauren turned, she knew she would have to be the one to face her father. But with Daniel and others on the line, will she do it? Or back down from the fight? The last part to the Forbidden trilogy. R&R are very much appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

"No Lauren! You were so close that time! Try again," Daniel roots for me as I try to catch a very stubborn rabbit who didn't want to get caught and eaten today; and I don't blame him.

The rabbit darts off over a log and speeds away, long gone.

I kick up dirt from the woodland ground of Daniel's backyard, making a brief small dust cloud around me, "Let's face it Daniel, I'm not cut out for this. I'm hungry." I look at him with my puppy eyes, "Can we just call it a day and give me some of that blood you have in your hand?" I glimpse down at the bag in his hand but turn my attention back to Daniel's doubtful face.

"Nice try," Daniel replies smugly at the fact he resisted my puppy eyes, "It's going to take a lot more than that for me to give in."

I walk over to him, trying to seduce him with my walk and eyes. Before I can take a seat on his lap, he lifts himself off of a tree trunk he used as a seat. I place my index finger on his chest and gently draw circles and say in my best sexy voice, "How about we take a break for awhile and take this training to the bedroom?" I lean in and whisper into his ear, "You can show me a few moves; I'm sure I haven't seen all of them yet." Before he says anything, I start nibbling on his earlobe knowing the fact that he likes it when I do that.

He moans softly, but he breaks the spell I put on him by gently pushing me away from me, "Dammit Lauren, you have to stop doing that."

I smile and giggle, proud of myself, knowing that Daniel was about to give in to my suggestion. I was starting to get better with my seduction. If only it was enough to get me out of this stupid 'lesson'. All these lessons would do for me was frustrate and bore me. It really wasn't a lesson, of course I knew how to hunt, and it was instinct. But Daniel insisted on doing this to get used to my vampire/werewolf body.

Someone clears their throat behind me, "Can you please not do that around me? It makes me want to gag." Rachel states in her teasing bitchy tone. "Are we continuing or what?"

I smirk, "Sorry," Daniel and I say in unison. I would have done more with Daniel if Rachel wasn't here. I was having more… urges lately since I became a hybrid almost 3 weeks ago. I was thirsty for both Daniel and the blood. Maybe it was because Daniel sometimes distracted me from the blood cravings. I thought Daniel was exaggerating when he told me resisting blood was one of the hardest things he has ever done; it turns out he wasn't, that was an understatement. All I think about is blood; it was like a pregnant woman with food cravings just multiplied a million times.

"Yeah, I think we're done here," Daniel announces to Rachel as she walks up to us. Daniel wraps his arms my waist to pull me into him.

Rachel rolls her eyes at us, "Thank god it's over. Now I can leave you two alone while I enjoy a nice glass of blood." She smiles at me, "See you guys later!"

Daniel and I give her our good bye and when she's out of sight and I hear her car speed off onto the road, I ask, "So, are we going to have a lesson or what?"

I can see Daniel debating on the inside, and after a couple seconds he replies with, "I don't think so." He has a goofy grin on his face which makes me think he's lying, and he definitely was. What guy turns down sex?

"Come on. You know you want to, and I want to so I don't see a problem with this situation." When he just looks down at me saying nothing, I pout, "Please, I'm just trying to get rid of these urges and you're the only way of doing that."

He smirks, "You're just saying that to get into my pants."

"Maybe, but its working on you isn't it?" I get on my tippy toes and wrap my arms around his neck, "Plus, shouldn't you be proud of me? I'm trying to get rid of my blood cravings and this is the only way of doing it. I'm learning." I inch closer to his lips, to the point of almost touching.

"You are one of my best students; I have to admit," He whispers to me, "But don't tell Rachel that. So, I guess you should be rewarded for your actions."

"Oh really?" I smirk.

"Mhmm," he murmurs back just before we kiss each other's lips gently. His lips were soft and smooth against mine. This kiss was so sweet and felt so good and right that I needed more. I tease Daniel by sliding my tongue across his upper lip, and I knew then that I would get what I wanted. He never failed to resist that.

Sure enough, Daniel caves in and enters his tongue into my mouth, letting me taste the sweet peppermint flavor of him. I moan against his lips, turning him on even more than he already was. It's his turn to tease _me_ when he starts lightly gnawing on my bottom lip.

When it's my turn, Daniel finally lifts me up, lets me wrap my legs around his hips, and leads us inside his house. Our kiss has become so zealous that I bite a little too hard on Daniel's lip. But he doesn't wince or say anything; he continues kissing me even though I can taste his blood.

Daniel sets me down on the comfy leather couch and crawls on top of me without breaking our kiss. Until I mention something to him lightly, "You know, we should probably lock the doors to make sure no one interrupts us." Daniel's lips curve into a smile as he moves them down to my neck.

"Stop worrying," he murmurs against my neck, grazing his tongue teasingly, "We're secluded, no one ever shows up here."

I smirk and decide to change things up a bit. Using my strength, I turn both of us over so I would end up on top of him for a change; breaking Daniel's caress of my neck. With my legs on either side of Daniel's hips, I lean down slightly and rip his shirt open, "I hope you're right because we'll probably make a lot of noise."

Daniel of course doesn't protest and sits up a little bit, not enough to move me though. He caresses the side of my face with his hand rubbing his thumb tenderly on my cheek, when he tells me softly with a warm smile that matches his eyes, "You're crazy, but I love you. You know that right?"

I blush and nod, "I love you more though." And I truly did, despite everything we went through. Especially three weeks ago when I was turned by Daniel, he saved me from dying and I was grateful. But Daniel didn't feel the same way, he still felt guilty, thinking it was his fault this happened to me. It took him 2 weeks to touch me again after I first turned.

The only thing that concerns me now is the future of my kind. Well, not my kind but half of me, the vampire part. I was the only hybrid that Daniel and I knew at least. But there wouldn't be any more hybrids like me if the werewolves planned on making the vampires extinct, and that was up to me. I was the one destined to end this war, because of my father. I belonged to a great line of werewolves, but I didn't belong with them anymore, I belong with vampires now and my father needed to be stopped.

I didn't know about Daniel, but I was so scared for the future, of us. I knew we were going to fight sometime but we didn't know when, the thought of Daniel dying haunted my thoughts every night. It would be my entire fault if he did and I couldn't live with that guilt and anguish.

I shouldn't even be thinking about this now, not when I was with Daniel. I try pushing the thoughts away and I knew the only distraction would be doing this with Daniel, so I crush my lips to his. But I see him wince, "Be a little gentler next time."

I wince too, "Sorry." I forgot about how strong I was now, I was so used to being human with him but I wasn't anymore. Daniel said that I would get used to my new bodily strength and the blood lust in a year or less but that seemed so far away for me. I wanted to be around my mom without wanting to drink her blood. She was away at California for vacation, visiting the family. She was going to be gone for awhile, about a month. That should give me time to subside the cravings a little more.

I didn't want to think about the future; I wanted to focus on now, which was Daniel. I press my lips to his softer this time and he still caresses my face as he lies back down. I lean my body against his, deepening our now passionate kiss.

Just as I was about to further our embrace, there was a loud crash on the other side of the house. My head immediately shoots up looking around the room, "What was that?"

"I'm not sure," Daniel says with a furrow in his brow. I get off of him as he was about to rise too, "Stay here." He orders me, and then he darts off towards the source where the sound occurred.

At first I stand there waiting for Daniel to return but after a minute, he doesn't come back. So I walk over to the other side of the house, towards the bedroom. When I get there, I see Daniel, sitting on the bed staring down at something. Sure enough across from me I see the window shattered, exposing the bedroom to nature.

I frown at Daniel's back when he doesn't turn to me when I enter the room; I knew he would hear me. Something must be off, "What's wrong?" I inquire as I walk over to him. He doesn't answer; he didn't even glance my way. Whatever was in his hands, it must have been bad for us. When I look over his shoulder, my eyes widen and I gasp.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

At first, I didn't know how to react to the sight of the necklace my father gave me. Shawn gave it back to the Velknar pack but I guess they finally found out it didn't work. They were now out for blood, but that wasn't the scary part. The scary part was what the letter that came along with the necklace said:

_We know that the necklace is a fake. Bring us the real one and turn yourself in or else your mother will suffer the consequences. We'll keep in contact._

I stiffen at the thought of the Velknar clan having my mother hostage. I can feel the tears building up, ready to burst, my mother. She must be so scared, lost, alone. I never wanted this to happen to my mother; I never wanted her in this mess. It was my entire fault. I shake my head in disbelief as I read the letter again.

Daniel turns to me with a saddened look upon his face. "I'm sorry Lauren," before I could say anything he wraps his strong arms around me in a sweet embrace that made me feel safe. I hug him back tightly but not too tight to the point where I broke his bones. It felt so nice to feel safe with Daniel but I couldn't stop thinking about my mom and how afraid she was.

I finally let my tears out and bury my face into Daniel's shoulder, as if I was hiding from the fact that this chaos has finally affected me. First it was Rachel turning into a vampire, then my own transition into a hybrid, and the constant worry for the people I love. It was so overwhelming I just didn't know what to do anymore.

I feel Daniel press his hand gently on the back of my head, holding me closer to him. He shushes me; I didn't even realize I was sobbing, ready to just bawl. "Why Daniel? Why my mother?"

"I don't know but we'll get her back Lauren, I promise," Daniel reassures me as he strokes the back of my head, trying to calm me down.

I continue crying for I don't know how long, but it was nice to have Daniel here for me. After what felt like an hour, I was starting to calm down. I lift my head and look up at Daniel, still sobbing but not as badly I say, "When do we leave for Washington?"

It takes Daniel a second to register what I really said and his expression becomes sympathetic, "Washington? Oh no," he warns, "We're not leaving for Washington. Well, not yet anyway."

I frown, "But, my mother is with those monsters and you expect me to just sit here for who knows how long?" I remove myself from his arms, "No way, I'm going to find them myself if you're not going." I turn to leave but Daniel is right in front of me when I do so, blocking the exit.

"Lauren, we don't even have a plan. And besides, if we did have a plan we're not going to face an entire pack of werewolves," Daniel starts to sound angry at my recklessness but I don't care, it's my mother we're talking about.

"That's why we're going to call Shawn; we can make a plan now."

He looks at me, confused, "What use is Shawn? He's just some werewolf who doesn't have a pack, he got kicked out remember? No connections," I forgot how much he hated Shawn but he was our only option for what I was planning on doing. "Besides he's not even in town anymore."

"Yeah, I know that but we can use his knowledge on the Velknar's as an advangtage. He's bound to know where they keep captives. We can just sneak in, get my mother, and get the hell out of there. It's the best bet we have right now." I take hold of his hand, "Please Daniel."

Daniel looks away from me and sighs, "I'm sorry but right now isn't a good time to go." My face turns red from frustration but right before I think of walking around him, he adds, "How about in a week or two? That should buy us some time to find the real necklace, and to dig up any information we can on the Velknar and the Fenris clans."

"Daniel, I don't think I can wait a week to save my mom. They're probably doing despicable things to her right now," just the thought makes me shudder, "It's all my fault Daniel, I need to make it right. Plus, what's the point of finding the real energy necklace? They're going to use it despite their 'moral' code crap, you know that right?"

I don't give him a chance to respond, afraid to know what his opinion on the situation was. I walk around him and head towards the living room to where my purse was. Yet Daniel manages to get in my way, again. "I want to find the necklace so I can dispose of it, without the necklace, they have no point in killing you and we can just walk away from all of this." He holds my shoulders, "Lauren, I know for a fact that the Velknar's aren't dumb enough to just kill your mom if you don't show up. It would mean you definitely would not meet them and that they killed innocent blood for nothing." He looks into my eyes, pleading, "Just trust me, your mom will be safe. She's better off with them than the Fenris'; they're softies when it comes to hostage situations compared to the Fenris'."

Not saying anything, Daniel takes it as a sign to continue his argument. "I'm close to finding the necklace, I just know it Lauren. It's in Canada, in the providence of British Columbia."

"How do you even know it's up in British Columbia?"

"Before Jackie died, she was doing some digging for me and she captured a lone werewolf from the Fenris pack in Ontario. Turns out that the werewolf was close to Adam and he said that the necklace was in the heart of the pack's hideout. He didn't say specifically where, although he said the pack was in hiding somewhere in Canada. Their hideout would have to be close to Washington since the Velknar's are in that state, Adam would need to keep a close eye on them. This is it Lauren." Daniel stares at me, wanting me to say something but I don't, "Well?"

I hesitate, "I don't know Daniel… that'll take away precious time away, the time we could use to find the Velknar's. We would have to search all of Washington and all of British Columbia, it's too time consuming."

"We would need to search for both of them anyway," Daniel points out, "So why not kill two birds with one stone?" He smiles down at me; I can tell he was just trying to compose himself. I knew I was making him stressed out but I had to point out the flaws with this plan. "Tell you what, after a week and we still don't find the necklace, we'll find the Velknar's and take your mom back. Deal?" He outstretches his hand for my hand; he wanted me to shake on it.

I contemplate whether I should agree to his deal. He did have a point when we could find the necklace and use that to get my mom out of there peacefully. And he also was right about how we would need to find it anyway, to destroy it. No one should hold such raw power. But I just needed my mom back, and have the reassurance that she would be safe. I had no other choice but to trust Daniel with this risky plan of his, "Deal." I place my hand in his and we shake on it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

We've been on the road for a little over a day; it was about 9 o'clock at night now. There was dead silence in the car as Daniel, Rachel, and I drove on the interstate, I-90 W, on our way to somewhere in British Columbia I had no idea about. I was still upset with Daniel of course about him choosing the necklace over my own mother. Out of all people I thought he would be the one to understand I needed to be reassured she was okay. That wasn't the only reason to why I wasn't talking to him; since Rachel was in the seat behind me, it would've been awkward for Daniel and I to start fighting like I knew we would be doing sooner or later on this trip.

It wasn't my idea for her to come along, I wanted her to stay home safe but she demanded to be there for us since we needed the extra help. Being as stubborn as she is, I didn't want to deal with any more arguing, I eventually give in and let her come with us. I didn't need to argue with my best friend when I was already doing that with my boyfriend, who was also my best friend.

I never liked arguing with Daniel but he needed to know when he was wrong. He was just so damn stubborn sometimes, it made me want to scream at him but of course I wouldn't do that. Personally, I didn't see the difference whether we got my mother first or the necklace in this situation. But Daniel was persistent to retrieve the necklace before anything, and I didn't know why. He must be keeping something from me, something very important so I would wait until an opportunity arose to confront him.

I stare out the passenger window, catching a glance of a sign saying Bozeman in a half mile and then watching what I can see of the trees as we zoom by them, making them look like a blur of different shades of greens. I then look slightly up towards the sky, above the mountains in the distance to the stars. The sky was very clear making it easy to spot the constellations.

Watching the stars reminded me of a time when Daniel and I used to stargaze from the roof. That time was before I ever found out about him and what he really was, times were simpler back then. I was so carefree and stress free, the only thing I was concerned about was turning a paper in at time at school. But now, I had to worry about my loved ones dying because of me, because of who I'm related to, because of who I am.

I wonder if life for my loved ones can ever go back to the way things were before all of this, but I just shake my head at the thought. It was impossible for it to be the same, ever. And I felt terrible for placing such a heavy burden on every ones shoulders.

I take a glance at Daniel's concentrated gaze focusing at the road in front of us. I can't help but stare at his impeccable features, from his piercing ocean blue eyes to his strong jaw. I had to look away back to nature outside my window before he caught me gaping at him.

Just then, a feeling washes over me, it was like a gravitational force was demanding me to stay in this area like I was connected to it. The urge overpowers me to the point where I place my hand on the car's door handle and command, "Stop the car."

I can see Daniel's head turn towards me, and I know he's frowning, confused to why I needed the car stopped. "Lauren, I can't exactly do that since we're on the interstate."

I look straight into his eye and tell him, "If you don't pull over, I'm jumping out."

The furrow in his brow deepens but he does what I tell him to do without another question. Just as I unlock my door and step out of the car, he asks as I'm walking away into the field, "What are you doing?" I hear the opening and shutting of two car doors.

I look around at what's in front of me but all I see is grass and some trees along with the mountains in the distance. I don't exactly know what I was searching for but I kept walking away from Daniel and Rachel and his car, searching for the source that is trigging this sensation inside of me. Before I can continue, I feel Daniel's firm hand grab my shoulder and turn me around, forcing me to face him, "What the hell is your problem?" He questions with irritation in his voice, "What are you doing? Why did you make me stop the car?"

It takes me a point to reply, I really didn't know what I was doing. I didn't want to tell him the reason why since it would make me sound crazy, but that's what I end up doing, "I don't know, I just got this sudden impulse that I need to be here, in this area. I can't explain it Daniel, something in me is telling me that we're supposed to be here."

Daniel has an improbable expression on his face, as if I was making this up. "So your instincts are telling you to be in a town named Bozeman?" He smiles.

"Yes, I guess. Stop smiling like that," I frown at him to know that I'm still upset with him, "Can't we just stay here for the night? We should get a break from all this driving and stay in a motel or something; plus you're starting to run low on gas. And then in the morning we can look around town to see if we're missing something here."

He just continues staring at him when Rachel pitches in, "Yeah Daniel, can't we just stop for one night? It's not going to kill you. And sleeping in a car isn't the most comfortable thing in the world… at all."

Daniel takes a minute to come to a decision, "Fine, let's stop at the gas station first then we can rent a room for _one_ night. We're not staying in this dump after noon. This isn't a vacation." He turns and returns to his place in the driver's place, me following not too far behind.

I climb into the vehicle without another word, until we reach the gas station. "I'll go pay for our pump," I offer Daniel as I hold my palm out for the money.

Daniel eyes me, as if I was going to do something stupid. Eventually he pulls out his wallet and hands me the cash. Of course, I could have paid for it myself but I thought he deserved to pay since it was his idea to come over on the other side of the country. Without another word, I take my leave towards the gas station building.

Before I enter the building, I'm graced with Daniel's presence. Now what does he want from me? "What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping an eye on you, that's what I'm doing." He opens the wide for me, beckoning me to enter. I roll my eyes at him and do so; I look around the room for a second to see shelves of goods. I look to the cashier who didn't welcome us or say anything. He wore all black, from what I saw of him, he was wearing a black t shirt, and he had hair to match the color. He clearly used hair gel because his hair was spiked to perfection. I slightly shrug and continue my way through the station, towards the food. I was becoming hungry, but not for human food… I knew that food would take my mind off of blood for a temporary amount of time.

I hear the clink of Daniel's boots following me as I search for something that sounded appealing, "Why do you need to watch me like a hawk?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I don't respond, waiting for the answer to my question, "So you don't run off to find… you know who." I knew who he was talking about, my mother. And he was right for looking after me, because I would do exactly that if I had the chance.

"Well, maybe if you weren't spending all your time searching for my father, then I wouldn't have to run off for you know what," I retort with venom in my voice. "Besides," I start as I reach down for a box of Twinkies, "How are you even going to find him? Jones is a very common last name you know…"

I walk off to the cashier and of course I hear Daniel not far behind me, "True, but his first name, Adam can reduce the numbers too."

"20 on 1 please," I say sweetly to the cashier as I place the box on the counter. I shake my head at Daniel's ignorance, "He probably changed his whole name too, idiot. There's no way you're going to find an Adam Jones in this region or _any _other region."

"Sorry to interrupt," the cashier intrudes, "But did you say Adam Jones?"

Daniel and I exchange a glance and nod, "I don't know if it's the guy you're looking for but he's an excellent doctor, the town loves him. He works at the hospital further into town, or I should say worked. He disappeared a couple months ago."

We don't say anything; the Adam Jones he was talking about was probably just a normal human. I'm the one to speak, "What did he look like?"

"Ughh," he thinks for a moment, waiting for the memory of his features to come to his mind, "He had brown hair but it was starting to fade into gray a little bit, built pretty well for his age. I don't know what else I could say about him; maybe if you had a picture of him I would recognize him."

I frown, thinking of how I could show him. Then I thought about that picture I carry of my father in my wallet. I frantically pull it out and open the gap, sure enough, I see the picture of my father with me when I was little; carrying me on his broad shoulders. I hand it over to the cashier, "Is that him?"

The cashier squints at the picture and after a second, he recognizing my father and nods, "Yeah, that's him. But he hasn't been in town for a long time; his family was pretty upset about it. Still are in fact." He then rings up my food and the pump, giving me my change.

I stiffen when he utters the word, family. I was his family; my mom and I both were, until he left us for his selfish reasons. I didn't know what the cashier meant by family, maybe it was his father, mother, and my grandparents. I couldn't bear the thought of Adam creating another family with another woman, he cheated on my mom, and he cheated me out of my childhood. To think that he had those special moments I never had with another daughter or son of his, made me angry.

What was wrong with me? I shouldn't even care about my father; I'm supposed to kill him after all. But I couldn't help but feel betrayed. Despite everything, he was still my father at the end of the day; we were the same flesh and blood.

I look up to Daniel to see how he was taking this news, and from the expression on his face, he looked accomplished. I wasn't on the other hand, I felt the opposite. I grab the paper bag, and stomp out of the station without Daniel on my heels. I was surprised he didn't follow me; maybe he finally learned not to make me anymore angry.

I stride to the car, slam the door hard, making a crack in the window but I didn't care. Rachel must notice I was upset because she asks, "What's wrong? Did Daniel say something?"

"Yes and no," I let out a frustrated sigh, as I pop a Twinkie in my mouth, "We were talking about my dad and it turns out he lived in this town, two months ago. We found out from the cashier he has a family here and everything. What's up with that?" I continue chewing on my food, and taking a big gulp to make the dessert go down.

"Shut. Up." Rachel says in disbelief, "Let's go visit the family then, I'm sure we can find _something _out from them. "

"Exactly," I hear Daniel say as he steps into the car, "They could know something we don't about Adam, and it's worth a chance."

"I'm not comfortable with that," I protest with my mouth full. "He had another family, he betrayed my mom and I."

"Lauren, this guy left you. It's his fault, plus you're too good for him anyway. We still need to go to see if they're hiding anything." Rachel tries convincing me but I don't budge. Although a part of me was curious to know these people, the possibility that they're related to me. But I thought they were probably just as terrible as Adam, and that made me not want to go.

"Well, I found out where they live. They live on the other side of town, on Gallatin Road. So, decide," Daniel sounds impatient and irritated, he had no right to be. I didn't do anything to him to deserve his rudeness.

We are all silent for a moment until Rachel mentions, "You can stay in the car if you want, you don't have to go in the house if you don't want to." She places a hand on my shoulder, showing her support for me. Something I wish Daniel was doing right now.

I contemplate my options; I could just run off to Washington without Daniel or Rachel's help. Or I could stay with them. The best option for my mother to get out of that hell hole at the Velknar pack was if I had back up with me. There was no way I could defeat all of them on my own, despite my unusual power. I was also curious on this 'family' my father had, so I in defeat, "Alright, I'll go."

I couldn't help but feel guilty for having my mother waiting longer for me to come to her rescue. She probably just needed me there for comfort, like I needed her. 'Don't worry mom,' I think to myself, sending good thoughts to her, 'I'll be there soon. I promise'


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

My heart is racing as Daniel pulls up into the Jones driveway. I didn't know what to expect we would find; a haunted mansion, or some psycho murder house. But the house was just like any other house in town, two stories and painted white with a shade a blue on the trimming. I assumed the family in there were related to me in some way but I was hoping they weren't, since my dad had probably been with them longer than he was with me, they most likely acted more like him. Which wasn't a compliment, he was an asshole.

Daniel finally parks the car and turns to me, "Are you coming or not?"

I hesitate before answering then I notice the time, "its 9:30 p.m. Daniel, they're not going to up or want to deal with visitors. Let's just leave now."

He rolls his eyes, "You were the one begging me for us to stay in Bozeman for one night. Now all the sudden you want to back out when I respect your wishes? No way." He breathes out a sigh of frustration as he rubs his eyes, "So, are Rachel and I going or are you coming with us?"

I couldn't let an opportunity like this pass me by, what if I had family in that house? Grandparents? What if they weren't like Adam at all? And just a completely normal family who has their relative missing? What if they were in the dark about vampires and werewolves? I needed to know the other side of my family, my father's side, and the only way to do that is to keep my chin up and hope for the best.

With this newly found confidence, I get out of the car without saying a word and jog up the porch to ring the doorbell. The only light source is the porch light above my head, so when I look back and try to look at Daniel, I can't but I remember I have built in night vision and decide to use it. I needed to practice my new, alien powers. His express was concern for he didn't know what I was doing, he didn't know how this was going to turn out and neither did I.

No one answers the door, so I decide to ring the doorbell again following a light knock on the door. Again, no answer, so when I turn to give up and call it a night, I hear the door open from behind me. When I face the door, I see a blonde woman with a bob cut in a pink night robe. I told Daniel they were probably sleeping. "How may I help you?" She asks cautiously yet in a friendly way.

At first, I didn't know what to say. I just wondered how my father and her were connected since this was his house. I clear my throat and mutter, "Sorry to bother you but, is there an Adam Jones here by any chance?"

When I mention my father's name, she stiffens. "I'm sorry but he hasn't been here for… awhile. Why do you ask?"

I scratch the top of my head while trying to decide what to say to her. I end up deciding that telling her the truth was my best bet for her to tell me about my father, "It's just that, he's my father and I just needed to meet him." I remember the photo I had showed the cashier earlier, "Is this him?" I question as I hand over my childhood picture.

She gasps quietly, "That's him; no one's talked about him since he disappeared." The woman looks back up at me, "Would you like to come in?" She widens the door for me, encouraging me to come in; but I hesitate.

"My friends are in the car waiting for me, and it's late, I should probably let you sleep. Goodnight." I turn and walk down one step until she stops me.

"Wait," she calls out to me, "It's not_ too_ late, and your friends are welcome to come inside if they like." I look back at her and see her hand gesturing to inside her house, "Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight? If not, you can stay with us tonight."

I nod my head, "We were going to a motel near the interstate," I gently turn her offer, "But thank you for the offer."

Before I could turn to leave, she calls out again, "I'm not letting you waste your money when you can stay here for free." She waves for me to enter, "Come on in."

I sigh, wanting to leave but something kept pulling at me to enter the house. It was like something that I needed was in there with them. I also needed to know more about my father and what he was like, she would know more than I did. I finally nod, "Okay," I turn and signal Rachel and Daniel by motioning them over with my hand. "You don't have to do this."

She gives me a warm smile, "But I do, I can't just turn down Adam's daughter. He would want me to be humble."

I doubted that. Just then, Daniel and Rachel appear on either side of me, pointing to Rachel I introduce her, "This is Rachel, and that's Daniel." I forgot I didn't mention my own name, "I'm Lauren by the way."

She nods with a kind smile on her face, "I'm Katrina. Nice to meet you all. Now," she starts as she opens the door for all of us, "Come on in and we can have a cup of coffee or something." We enter her without any questions. I look around me, taking in all the shades of light blue and white. The inside looked like it belonged in a magazine, with the crystal chandelier and the grand staircase. The house itself didn't look like it would belong in a small town like Bozeman.

She walks us past the kitchen which looked brand new and never used. Katrina leads us into the dining room where there was yet another chandelier but this time, colors were gray and black, matching the gray tile. "You can have a seat in here. I will get you all coffee."

We give our thanks as she steps out of the room into the kitchen. Taking our seats at the rectangular table with Daniel on my right side and Rachel on my left, "No funny business, and don't ask her anything about my father."I quietly inform both Rachel and Daniel.

Daniel frowns, "Why not? It's the reason why we came here." But Daniel ignores my wishes and calls out to her, "So, Katrina, how do you know Adam?" Daniel inquired. I immediately smack him in his arm; it must have a little too hard since he clearly shows pain in his expression. Daniel looks at me, confused. But I don't say anything, just grin to myself, he deserved it.

"Oh, well…" She sounds uncomfortable with the question, like I knew she would be. "I'm married to him, I'm his wife."

I knew it, that bastard moved on to someone else. Why wasn't my mom good enough for him? She was perfect to me, and seemed way out of his league. But now he's gone again, does that mean he moved on to another woman?

"So… you're technically Lauren's stepmother?" Rachel asks. I give her a dirty look, and just like Daniel, she was confused by my behavior. I thought it was rude to be asking these types of questions so soon, when they just met the woman.

Katrina comes back with empty mugs and places them in front of us. She looks to me and slightly nods her head yes, "I guess so." She leaves the room for a moment to bring in the pot of coffee and pours the liquid into all of our mugs. When she is done she looks to me and takes a seat across from me, at the head of the table, "So, what did you want to know about your father?"

"Anything you want to tell me is fine." I smirk, trying to get rid of the heaviness I feel in the room.

"Well, your father never told me he had a daughter with another woman. I don't know exactly what to say." She pauses and thinks to herself for a moment before she replies, "Adam was a very incredible man, he was the local doctor that everyone loved. That's how we met in fact; I'm a nurse over in the hospital. Anyway, he was the type of person that always thought of others before himself. Adam was the most selfless, kindest, most caring man I ever met."

I stay silent, taking in her words. She looked so sad and unsure of what to do. She must have been completely out of the dark just like my own mother and me. I could easy spare her the pain and suffering my mother and I had been put through these past 12 years. But I wasn't about to expose her to any of this, no matter how much I wanted to lay her worries to rest. "When did he disappear?" I ask, trying to sound like I didn't know anything.

"About 2 months ago," Katrina informs me gravely, "One day, he went to work and he didn't show up all night. I tried calling him but he didn't pick up and I eventually called the hospital and they said he wasn't there. That's when I reported him as missing to the police; there has been no trace of him since." She sighs, "I'm sorry you came here to meet your father when he just recently turned up missing."

An unfamiliar voice breaks the brief silence, "Whose father?"

Everyone's eyes go straight to the source of the voice, to the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. Standing there in her matching Pokka dot pajamas was a girl who looked to be no older than 11 or 12 with dirty blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail with breath taking blue eyes that looked tired.

Katrina rises from her seat and rushes over to the girl, "Hayley, what are you doing out of bed?"

Hayley looks over to Daniel, Rachel, and I. "I heard talking, from voices I didn't know."

"It's nothing to worry about sweetie. You can go back to bed now," Katrina tells Hayley sweetly reassuring her that we weren't here to harm her or Hayley.

Hayley gives us one last glance before she obeys her mother's suggestion, going off to bed. When Katrina knows she's out of the room, she apologizes, "Sorry about that was my daughter, Hayley. She's a good girl."

"It's fine." I can't help but wonder if she was a part of Adam like I was. She seemed a little bit older than she should have been if I'm thinking about the time frame correctly. Maybe Katrina had her with another man earlier; after all, Hayley looked nothing like Adam either. "Sorry to ask but, is she Adam's… daughter?"

She stares down at her coffee, and utters the words that I knew I would hear but dreaded them, "Yes, she is."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

When Katrina confirms that Hayley is indeed Adam's daughter, I become angry and upset at the same time. I just had to get out of there, or just sleep on this news before I do something irrational. "Well, it's getting late," I fake a yawn, "We should probably get to the motel now." I get up from my seat, "Thank you for having us though." Before she could say anything, I get out of the house as quickly as possible without using my newly found speed. I hear Daniel coming after me, motivating me to walk faster and out the front door.

When I try to get out of the door someone was blocking my path. When I look up I was expecting to see Daniel but instead Rachel is the one preventing me from leaving. "You want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" I act confused, "I don't have anything to talk about?"

"Yes you do Lauren, I'm not stupid. You haven't been acting yourself ever since we left for this trip." She takes hold of my hand and leads me out to the porch to sit on a bench. "You need to talk about these things, stop building it up inside. So, talk to me." Rachel gives me a warm and friendly smile.

It was somewhat strange of her to be talking to me right now. After all, she barely said two words since we went on this trip. But she was still my best friend; I knew I could talk to her about everything. "All of this is overwhelming, I guess."

"About what exactly?"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that I have all the pressure to make peace between the entire werewolf and vampire races." I start to rush my words out of frustration, "Not to mention that I'm fearful for my mother, who has been kidnapped by the Velknar's, as you already know. I just found out that I have a _sister_ over half of my life, and on top of all of that, I have to maintain a relationship with Daniel and now that's not even working out well." I sigh, "I'm trying my best, I am, but I just can't do it. How can I be the one to save two entire races of creatures? I'm just one person Rachel." I take a breath before I continue, "Now the main person that has been keeping me sane this entire time, now acts like I'm the bad guy." I feel the tears yearning to flow but I try so hard to not let them, "Rachel, I don't want to lose anyone especially Daniel, my mom, and you. I just can't carry all this weight on my shoulders."

I finally let the tears take over me as I wrap my arms around Rachel, squeezing her tightly. Not too tightly to the point where I could break her bones, remembering the last time I did that. I start to weep in her arms, letting the emotions I've been holding in for so long be unleashed.

Rachel instantly hugs me back and quietly tells me everything will be okay. But I can't bring myself to feel that way. I just didn't have the confidence that everything was going to be okay, I had a gut feeling something was going to go wrong that would either change my life or everyone else's lives. I couldn't put anyone at risk because of me, it was all my fault.

Deep down I knew I wasn't to be blamed for this war but I was a major part of it and that scared me more than anything. I knew that I would probably have to run away for the rest of my life afterwards, if it ended at least. Werewolves and a few vampires would come for me even after in resentment. But I didn't like the fact that I would be dragging along Rachel, Daniel, and my mom; my enemies would go after them because of me. I would be dragging everyone down along with me. I didn't know what do, last time I checked, I know no one who is/has gone through the same situation so I was going to be on my own for this one.

Rachel and I stay like this for what must have been a half an hour. I finally tone down the crying and the sobbing and pull back, severing our embrace. "Thanks." I say while I wipe away tears underneath my eyes, my makeup surely ruined.

Instead of smiling at me and saying 'you're welcome', she crosses her legs and keeps a stern expression, "We need to talk about all this more, Lauren." She sighs, "I just want you to get your head straightened out a little more and the only way of doing that is by talking about it. I know you, and talking helps when you're feeling stressed or depressed."

I pout, knowing that she was right. I couldn't let my emotions get bobbled up inside until I burst; it wasn't healthy for myself or anyone else, especially now. "You're right, Rachel," I admit with defeat, "Although I don't know what else I _could _say."

"Well," she starts, "Talk about how you're feeling about having a sister." When I don't say anything, she adds, "I know it's hard for you to talk about these things with me, I'm not your mom but you have to talk to _someone_ about all of this. If you're not going to talk to Daniel, you have to talk to me." She smiles, "Sorry girl."

I laugh, "You're right, I'm not talking to Daniel, I'm mad at him. As for your question about my sister, I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling."

"Just try and describe to me how you feel. Are you happy about having a sister? Who knows, maybe you guys have a lot of things in common…"

"Maybe, I don't know. Should I be feeling like it's the end of the world? At the same time, I'm actually kind of excited that I have a sister." I pause until Rachel presses for me to continue, "The timing is all wrong though, maybe I wouldn't be so indecisive about her if we weren't in the middle of a full out war!" I rub my eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "Maybe I can work things out with her after this madness has stopped."

Rachel nods her head knowingly, "Maybe, I know you guys will get along though." She places a reassuring hand upon my shoulder, "It doesn't have to happen right away you know. It's going to take some time and when it happens, you won't even think about the bad."

I nod. She was right, after I get my mother back and restore balance to the supernatural world; I think I would be able to manage being a sister. If I could be the most powerful creature in the world, I could handle an 11 year old girl.

We sit in silence. I wait for Rachel to say something but she doesn't. As I was about to get up, go back into the house and get Daniel, Rachel murmurs, "How about your mom? How are you handling that?" She seems sad and distant now, I wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was because of the thought of my mom made her worry about her own. I knew Rachel and her mom were close, just as close as my mom and I are. But it was because Rachel was connected to me, that I was sure the Velknar's or other vampires would try anything to get to me. Even if it was with Rachel's mom too; I wouldn't let Rachel be put through that pain.

"I'm fine," I lie, "Well, better than I was before anyway."Talking about my mom was too hard to talk about right now. I knew I wasn't supposed to keep this bottled up inside but I had to, no one would ever understand what I was feeling. Why bother?

"We'll get your mom back, don't worry," Rachel assures me softly.

"I know," I smile like I mean it, and give her another hug, "Thank you for this, for everything." I meant it, I was so thankful to have a friend like Rachel. I didn't have many friends but as long as I always had Rachel, I wouldn't need any other friends.

Rachel rises, breaking our embrace, "Come on, let's go inside and get some rest. You need it; it's been a long day." Rather than waiting for me to go in with her, she walks away and into the house.

I frown in confusion, it seemed like she wanted to get away from me as soon as possible. She probably felt uncomfortable about talking about my mom maybe that was why. As I head into the house, I start to ponder about my mother, what she was doing, how she was. Then I begin to think about the way the pack must be treating her, I shudder. I manage to push the thought of losing her aside, for now anyway. In the end, I knew we would get her back. Holding on to that belief was the only thing that made me sane anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

When we walked into the kitchen and saw Daniel and Katrina talking silently in the dining room, they were acting normal as if I didn't try to make an escape out of here. I honestly thought Daniel would have mentioned it or at least make it awkward between Katrina and I. But nothing, Daniel glanced at me and turned his attention back to Katrina.

I roll my eyes, he was either really pissed at me or he was just being childish. Noticing this new Daniel, reminded me that this wasn't the Daniel I fell in love with. He had been acting like a whole new different person; it was like he blocked his emotions from not only me but from everyone or everything. I needed to figure out what happened that made him so distant.

I stare intently at him, taking in his beauty and the way he combs his fingers through his dark hair when he feels awkward or fluttered.

Leaning against the marble island in the middle of the kitchen, I observe Katrina more. Her blonde hair had slight waves in it and she had fading highlights. I notice and hear the intense tapping of her foot, the racing of her heart. I focus on the beating of her heart, pumping her blood through her veins rapidly. It made me wonder what she tasted like, what it would feel like to sink my fangs into her artery. I needed to feed, bad.

That was when I feel Rachel's hand grasp my shoulder, breaking my concentration, "Hey," Rachel began cautiously, "You okay? You don't look so good, maybe you should go outside again."

I shake my head, hoping that it would completely break of the trance I was in. And it worked, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just… tired, that's all." My gaze returns to Daniel but this time, I find him staring at me. He and Katrina are now standing probably finishing up their conversation they had without me.

Daniel then takes long strides towards Rachel and I, I immediately straighten my pose just before he stops in front of us. "I explained to her the situation with you and she said she completely understands. Now, go to the car and get your things, we're staying here tonight. We can talk more in the morning."

Before both Rachel and I could respond, he quickly but quietly runs off upstairs. "What's his problem?" Rachel questions.

"I honestly don't know," I reply honestly. I was just about to do what Daniel said and go outside for my things when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to find Katrina smiling at me, talk about awkward. "I'm sorry about earlier, it was just a lot of information to handle."

"It's alright, Daniel explained everything. You are more than welcome to stay here tonight; Daniel mentioned the fact that you would like to get to know me more." Of course he did.

"Did he now?" Rachel inquires, looking a little annoyed about it.

"Yes," Katrina says warily, "Is there a problem?" Her eyes go to Rachel and me, back and forth.

I smile, "No, no, of course not. Thank you for letting us stay here, I promise it'll only be for tonight."

Katrina smiles back, "You are very welcome, you can stay here as long as you like. Now if you'll excuse me," she starts as she heads for the foot of the stairs but before she walks on the steps, she turns around towards Rachel and I. "It's late and I have work in the morning, but I'm glad you're here. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," we call back as she heads up the stairs.

I was actually glad that I had an opportunity to talk to my mother-in-law and hopefully get to know my half sister. But at the same time I was petrified at the thought of speaking with my sister, all I would really see was my father's betrayal of my mom and me. I would work on it that was for sure. "So," I turn to Rachel, "Let's get our luggage." Without another word, I head out the front door onto the porch, down the steps, do Daniel's car. I don't bother to see if Rachel followed or not. I pop open the trunk and pull out the two heavy suitcases easier from under Rachel's five other suitcases.

Rachel is in my path when I turn, causing me to accidently smack her in the side with my suitcases. She doesn't flinch or cry out in pain like I expected her too, "What was that in there?"

I raise an eyebrow. I honestly had no idea what she was referring to, "Nothing? Why do you ask?"

"I saw the way you looked when you were watching Daniel and Katrina; you were so close to transforming. You're craving blood really bad aren't you?"

I scrunch my face, "It's not _bad_; I have it under control Rachel. It's been a few days since my last drink, I've gone longer." I honestly hadn't gone a day without my fill of human blood; it's why I was so hungry lately. It wasn't for food, it was for blood. "I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"First thing tomorrow morning, we're going to steal from the hospital. I can't let you risk anything." Like she was one to talk, she loved blood as much as I did. Well, I craved it more because I'm a hybrid; my body needs more blood than a regular vampire. So, why wasn't she craving like I was?

"Have you stopped drinking blood?"

Rachel frowns, "No? I fed today."

I didn't remember her feeding, "I was with you the entire day and I didn't see you drink any blood."

"Well… I brought some blood bags but I ran out," she confesses, "I was drinking when you and Daniel went into the gas station."

"Thanks for sharing with me!" I shout sarcastically, that was a little selfish of her to sneak blood without my knowledge. I wasn't mad, just annoyed and on edge from the lack of blood in my system. "It's fine though, I'll have a feast tomorrow then." With my bags in hand, I walk around her and enter the house, placing the bags on the bed in the guest bedroom. Good thing the room wasn't upstairs; I was away from Daniel for once.

As I look around the room and part of the hallway, I notice crosses hung up on each wall. That was weird but I thought nothing of it. I unpack, trying to distract myself from the crosses, taking out a few things such as my toothbrush, toothpaste, a pair of pajamas, and a washcloth.

Heading down the hall to do my night routine in the bathroom, I finally see Rachel with her 5 cases of luggage. She held 2 in each hand but balanced the final one on her head. I giggle, seeing how ridiculous she looked. "Nice technique," I comment.

"Shush," I hear Rachel say as she places her stuff down and gets her night time necessities, "I had no other way; I didn't feel like making two trips."

I roll my eyes while running water over my toothbrush before squeezing some toothpaste on the bristles. "So you have super speed but you're lazy? Tell me how that makes sense," I reply before placing the brush in my mouth and do circular motions all over my teeth.

"Hey, it's not required in the handbook," I hear Rachel's voice draw near to the bathroom, "I make up my own handbook." Just then, Rachel enters wearing her pajamas with her toothbrush, hair brush, and a wash cloth.

"What handbook?" I struggle to ask without slightly letting toothpaste foam escape my mouth.

"The vampire handbook," she mutters quietly, fearing that someone could overhear.

I roll my eyes, "There's no handbook, you learn about it by experience." I spit the toothpaste residue out of my mouth and into the sink, "Besides, you're lucky that you aren't a new species of supernatural creatures." I rinse my mouth with water, swishing it around.

"True, but I know you'll end up getting used to it and a pro." I smile against my washcloth as I scrub my face of any impurities.

"Thanks Rachel but I don't know if I could handle that," I say between the splashes of water I throw in my face, "I haven't changed into a… you know." I didn't want to say werewolf out loud, it seemed to be a vulgar word to say. It seemed that I belonged with vampires more than werewolves; after all, werewolves were the source of my problem. It didn't help I was part of one.

Rachel and I switch when I'm finished brushing my teeth and washing my face for her to do the same. "You'd think you would change under a full moon or something, but nothing." She struggles to speak from the toothbrush in her mouth, "Have you felt different lately?"

"As in physically? No, I've felt like myself ever since I changed." I use Rachel's brush and untangle my hair before putting it up in a ponytail.

"Maybe you aren't old enough, maybe you have to be a certain age as an actual werewolf to be able to change."

I never thought of that possibility, "Maybe," I sigh, "I don't know Rach; I'm a little scared to change into a wolf. It's definitely going to hurt." It was blindly obvious that it was going to be painful; I would be changing my entire skeletal structure.

"You'll be okay, I promise." Rachel assures me as she scrubs her face, "Plus, I always wanted a dog." She smiles up at me.

I smile back and smack her with my wet washcloth, "Shut up." Being like this with Rachel did make me feel better though, she made me feel like it would be fine.

Once we finish up in the bathroom, we put away our toiletries away back in our suitcases and store them underneath the bed. Rachel is the first to jump onto the comfy looking king sized bed, "Join me!" She shouts.

I hesitate at first but I eventually give in and jump in beside her. The bed was as comfy as it looked with the overly sized pillows and the warm comforters lying beneath me. I turn myself over to my side, facing Rachel, "It's been a long day; we should get to sleep if we are going to get some blood from the hospital."

"Yeah, you're right." Rachel and I get under the covers at the same time, "I guess I'll see you when I wake up," Rachel grins at me, "Love you, and good night."

"Love you too, night." I snuggle deeper into the pillow and curly the comforter closer to my body as Rachel shuts off the light. I close my eyes and I soon find myself dreaming.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

I find myself staring up at the star-like pattern ceiling of the guest bedroom, thinking about the day's events. It turns out that I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, I wasn't tired at all. Maybe it was because it's an option for vampires to sleep; but the downside of that was if I didn't sleep my energy level wouldn't be high like it usually would be. Daniel said I needed the same amount of sleep I got when I was a human. It was a funny thing.

Just then, a sound makes me break my gaze and my train of thought. I glance over in the direction of the sound. The source of the sound turned out to be Rachel, who was snoring in a peaceful sleep. She was lying right next to me so there was no way to avoid it. I turn to my right side, close my eyes and try to enter a relaxing peace of mind again.

After a few minutes of unsuccessfully falling asleep, I turn my head to look at the time. The glow of the clock read 5:42 a.m. I couldn't believe I had been awake for so long, my mind wouldn't shut up.

I groan in frustration as I throw the covers off of myself and sit up, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands. As I put my leopard printed flip flops in between my two toes, I sigh, debating if I should go feed on some animals in the nearby forest or to the hospital without Rachel or not.

I reach for my black silk robe that was laid over the bed post. My left arm was the first to slip into the sleeve, and then my right. I take a look around the room as I rise from the bed, remembering to avoid the crosses hung up on the walls. Using my handy built-in night vision to navigate myself around the room, I make my way towards the door.

Since no one was up, I decide to use my speed ability to exit the house. Once my feet are on the porch, I stop and quietly close the door behind me. I sigh at the feel of the crisp, morning breeze gently stroking the side of my face. I scan the scenery and notice how beautiful it was, with the fresh dew on the grass, the light mist in the cold air and the sight of the sun rising behind the mountains in the distance. It felt peaceful and right.

I smile at myself as I take a seat on the porch swing, swinging myself slowly back and forth with my toes. Despite the changes in my life I knew one thing wouldn't change: the beauty of nature and how it always put me in a tranquil state.

In that moment, I decide to do something that I haven't done in a very long time. I stride towards Daniel's car, pop the driver door open, and reach over the seat to open the glove department. I reach in and grab what I was looking for, a notepad and a pencil. I try to quietly shut the car door once I retrieve the two items I was looking for, but I couldn't avoid the noise. It wasn't terribly loud to the point where it woke everyone up though, so I knew I was okay.

I return to my seat on the porch swing while observing the horizon, I bring the pencil's lead tip to the notepad's paper and press down. That's when I copy the image I see of the sun's rays starting to beam through in between the mountain peaks.

This feeling of drawing made me remember my old self, before I was a hybrid. I used to draw so much while I was in middle school and elementary school, it ran in my blood. My mother used to draw and paint all the time before my dad 'died'. She never picked up a paint brush again; I guess she never had the heart to. But opposite of my mom, drawing helped me cope with the thought of never seeing my father again. It wasn't until high school started that I stopped, afraid that it would have been considered a strange thing to do. The only thought I had then was to become a girl that everyone wanted to be, that was when I started to have a party life, drinking and smoking. It wasn't until I met Daniel when I finally stopped doing all of that; he changed me for the better. I just wish things were the same today, now he resents me and we've been arguing more than ever.

I slightly shake my head; I didn't want to think about Daniel or any of my other problems. All I wanted to focus on was the art I was about to create. I look back out to the mountains and begin drawing the outline of them. Once I finish the mountain outline, I begin drawing the pine trees surrounding the mountain. I take note to the fact that the pine needles were starting to die, due to the fact that it was fall, the season of change.

Before I know it, I'm completely focused while I start the shading process. It was like there was nothing else around me but the paper in front of me and the image of the horizon ahead of me. That's why I jump at the sound of a familiar voice; I didn't expect anyone to be awake at this hour, I was caught.

I turn my head to see who it was that interrupted me; breaking the zone I was in. When I see Daniel standing in front of the door with his arms across his chest, I become even more surprised. I never thought he would want to be alone with me especially with the way he had been acting lately.

I couldn't help but stare at him for a little while; he was wearing a different pair of dark jeans from last night with a black shirt that looked tight on him, accentuating the muscles on his arms and chest. I didn't even realize he had 5 o'clock shadow, it suited him really well. Of course I wasn't going to tell him that because I was upset with him but I couldn't help but notice it.

I realize I've been gawking at him for too long and look away quickly, looking down at my drawing, "Hi," I mutter under my breath, I knew he would be able to hear me.

"Hey," he replies back just as quietly, as he walks over to sit next to me, a little louder he asks, "Couldn't sleep either?"

I shake my head in response to his question, afraid to say something. I didn't really know what to say to him, he was the one acting different, not me.

I continue gazing at the scenery in front of me until Daniel leans over my shoulder to see what's in my lap, "What's that?" I tilt the notepad to the right side of me, not wanting him to see it for I felt a little embarrassed to have him see. "Can I see? I won't laugh if that's what you're worried about." When I am unmoved, he sighs, "Come on Lauren, you know me. Just let me see it."

Finally, I look at him to see his lingering expression. After a moment, I think about and decide to let him see it. 'It's so stupid to be embarrassed over a dumb drawing,' I think to myself, 'Might as well give him what he wants for once.' I stretch my hand with the notepad out for him to grab, and he accepts my offer.

He pulls it to his view and examines my drawing. I didn't know what to think of his blank, focused, expression; if it was a bad or good thing. Until, his focus is now on me when he hands the notepad back to me, "I had no idea you drew. That's a very good drawing."

"Oh," is all I could say. I never had expected him to like it, thinking that he would have questioned it like he sometimes did. "Thanks. I guess there are things you don't know about me," I say, a little snappy about it.

"I guess so," Daniel replies a little awkwardly. "So, we should probably talk…" He fades off.

"About what exactly Daniel?" I start with irritation in my voice, "About the fact that you've been acting totally distant from me? Or that you don't care about me or my feelings anymore? Ever since we argued about getting my mom back, you've been acting different. So excuse me for wanting my mother back safe and unharmed."

I try getting up by Daniel pulls on my arm, forcing me to sit back down, "That's what I wanted to talk about, I'm sorry I've been acting like that Lauren. I just… didn't know what else to," he breathes out a sigh, "Look, the way I've been behaving isn't about your mom, it's beyond that reason."

Out of confusion, I frown; I had no idea what he was talking about, 'I just… didn't know what else to do.' "What do you mean?"

He looks straight ahead, avoiding my gaze. "It's nothing; I don't really want to talk about it."

"No," I announce, "No, you brought it up so explain to me why you've been acting like this. If you can't tell me these things, how do you expect me to trust you?" He doesn't even look at me when I talk, "Daniel, talk to me, it's the least you can do after the way you've been treating me."

"I said I was sorry for that, what more do you want?" Daniel sounds stressed, but I press forward.

"I want you tell me the reason _why _Daniel, why is it that hard?" I turn my body towards him and confess, "You know it makes me feel really crappy when you don't tell me anything. It makes me think that you can't trust me or I'm not good enough for you. So if that's the case, why are we even together at this point?"

"I have no idea to be honest," He says under his breath.

My body stiffens and I stop breathing, I couldn't believe he had said that to me. "So you don't want to be with me? You want to break up with me and that's why you've been distant?" Sure Daniel and I had our rough patches but that doesn't mean we should break up. I needed him, especially now. I couldn't lose anyone else I loved.

"That about sums it up," he confesses, looking back at me with hurt in his eyes. Just as I was about leave he opens his mouth to speak, "You want to know why I've been distant? I've been acting like a dick because I thought it would make the pain easier."

"What pain?" I question.

"The pain of losing you," he looks down, unable to look me in the eyes, "Just when you were talking about saving your mom and you willing to risk your life, it made me think about what if. What if you had died while in battle? What would happen to me if I lost you? I can't lose you, Lauren. I just can't." He sighs, "I figured that if I tried pushing you away, it would make it easier to cope with the pain. But I just can't do it, I've wanted to break up but it wasn't because of you, it was because of me. I can't bring myself to do it though; I love you too much to let you go. I _need_ you."

My anger towards him turns into pure affection; it was about time he finally confessed to me. "You're not going to lose me," I assure him, "I promise. I love you," I inform him just before I press my lips against his.

I missed the feeling of his soft lips against my own, or against my skin. Kissing him now, brought me back to life, it was what I needed. I pull away, not wanting to go overboard with our kiss, "Why is it so hard for you to talk to me?" I think out loud.

He shrugs his shoulders, "I don't like admitting defeat." He confesses as he holds me to him, "Or all that sappy stuff."

"I actually like this you," I smile, "You should bring him around more often."

"Maybe I will." Daniel considers. He scoops me up in his arms, bridal style before I can even think. "Let's go upstairs."

I shake my head as I clasp my hands at the back of his neck, "We're not having sex in Katrina's house," I whisper frantically. I wasn't about to disrespect her by doing that with Daniel, any other time would have been nice but not in her house, on her guests bed.

"I know, I wasn't thinking about that actually." He turns his head and looks at his car, "But if you really want to…" He drifts off.

I laugh softly, "I'm not in the mood to do anything, especially in the car." It would have been weird for me; whenever Rachel would sit in the backseat not knowing the fact we had 'done it' the same place where she was sitting. Talk about awkward.

He smiles down at me, "Alright, I honestly just want to be with you. It doesn't feel private out here. " Daniel opens the door, slowly and quietly, being careful to not wake anyone up with the sound of the door. He then darts up the stairs, and the next thing I know, we're in his temporary room. It was different than Rachel and I's, the room didn't look like it mines with its cathedral feel. There was a cross on one wall but that was about it, and on the far wall, was a glass door. From the looks of it, it looked like it let outside. The walls were painted beige with dark brown furniture to match; it was just an average-looking room.

Daniel places me on the bed, and crawls to the other side of the bed to lie down behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. It felt nice to be close to him again; it always made me feel safe and loved. "You know, this is the first time in awhile we've ever been in a bed together without having intercourse."

I feel the side of his head nuzzle into my neck so whenever he spoke, I felt the heat of his breath in my hair as he chuckled, "Now you're making it sound like that's all we do."

I smile, "I'm not saying that. We don't and I know you wouldn't use me like that." I adjust myself to make myself comfortable against his body, "Besides, this is nice."

"It is," he agrees as he slightly tightens his embrace around my body. "We should have these moments while we can," he gently advises me.

I knew what he meant; we should spend as much time together as we can before this war finally reaches us. I sigh, coming to realize the reality of the situation; we wouldn't be the same after this, whether it was a good or bad thing. I had to believe that everything would be alright, for Daniel and Rachel's sake. On top of everything, there was one thing starting to bother me also: the fact that the other part of me hasn't made an appearance. The werewolf part of me scared me a lot for some reason I couldn't really figure out.

Knowing I would probably ruin the sweet moment we were having, I don't say anything. But I can't help but think of the pain I would be put through and since he knew more about these things than I did, I decide to ask. "Daniel?"

"Mm?"

"I'm scared," I barely get the words out of my mouth. I didn't want to admit my defeat but I really was scared. Scared about the outcome of this war, scared about my mom, scared about becoming something I never wanted to be.

He breathes into my neck as he closes his arms even tighter around me, "It'll be okay Lauren, I won't let anything happen to you." I feel his lips graze across my cheek as I stare out into the darkness, "I can't let anything happen to you."

"That's the problem Daniel." I roll myself over to face him, "I never wanted any of this to happen, I don't you to risk your life for me. I can't lose you either or anyone else I love." He doesn't say anything as his eyes penetrate my own. "I hate the fact that I'm a part of the enemy, I'm related to him after all. Plus it doesn't help that I'm a werewolf. What if when I turn, I betray you and join my father in the fight? I don't know how this werewolf stuff works."

Again, he pulls me close to him and kisses my forehead, "I honestly don't know much about werewolves but I know for certain that they follow their instincts and heart." He smirks, "You're good, I know you wouldn't join them because you don't want to. It's not their choice, it is yours."

I reflect the smirk he has on his face, to mine. That really did make me feel a lot better about this situation. But I still didn't know how I would be able to handle the pain of transitioning into a werewolf. "Is it a choice to turn?" I ask quietly.

His smirk disappears from his face, "At first, no but once you're used to it, it can be." Daniel must have seen my worried expression because he adds, "You're probably afraid of the pain, but I don't want you to worry. I'll be right there when you turn; it's going to be alright." He leans his down, causing our foreheads to touch. "We'll be alright."

I warmly smile at his optimism and faith. It was weird but whenever Daniel reassured me that everything would be alright, it always would turn out that way because he was there every step of the way. A single tear drops down from my eye and onto the bed, I knew that in this moment I loved him and wanted to be with him for the rest of my life.

"I love you," I say with so much adoration in my voice because I genuinely meant it, "I love you so much."

He smiles, "I love you too," he replies just before he softly presses his lips to mine.

It was such a relief to finally rekindle my relationship with Daniel again, it felt amazing to be back in his arms. I was finally reminded of the reason why I loved him and always kept fighting for our relationship when things were hard. And I wasn't about to let him or that love go, ever.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

I didn't realize I fell asleep until I was awoken by the sound of Daniel harshly whispering my name in my ear, "Lauren, wake up." I felt my body shake as Daniel kept slightly nudging my arm. Finally, I open my eyes to be welcomed by the sight of Daniel propping his head up on his elbow and his piercing eyes gazing down at me. "Good morning beautiful."

I giggle; clearly he wanted something from me if he was lying to me, "Good morning." I sit up with my back against the pillow and stretch, "Did you even sleep?" The last thing I remember was snuggling up to Daniel's chest, reminding me of the way he held me. It was like he never wanted me to go. We didn't even speak or anything, we were just enjoying each other's presence.

"Honestly? No, what was the point? It's only 8 o'clock in the morning." I look over to the digital clock on the bedside table and sure enough, it read 8:05 a.m. "I figured you wanted me to wake you up to feed since Katrina and Haley aren't here."

"They're not?" Why would she leave three total strangers alone in her house? "Do you have any idea where they went?"

"Well, I heard a bus come by the house so I assume she went to school and Katrina told me last night when you were outside that she had work early this morning," Daniel adjusts himself so that he was equal to my level, also sitting up against the pillows. "It's just you, me, and Rachel. But she's still sleeping.

"Oh" I say, I was still confused to why Katrina would leave us all alone in her house. She didn't know us well enough; we could have been robbers for Pete's sake. I shrug it off, maybe she really felt connected to me when we met. "I don't want to go just yet; can we just wait till Rachel wakes up? I would feel bad for leaving her here all alone."

"It's fine, whenever you want. I'm not craving too badly so I can manage," He smiles at me and curls an arm around my waist, bringing me closer to him. After giving me a peck on the head, he adds, "So what are we supposed to do in the time being?"

My devilish grin appears on my face, thinking of something I would like to do. "I know what I want to do," I say in my seductive voice as I put circles into his biceps. Before he has time to react, I straddle his lap and kiss him tenderly.

Daniel kisses me back at first but when I just to intensify our kiss, he pulls back confused, "Wait a minute; I thought you said we shouldn't be doing this in Katrina's house?"

I just look at him confused until I remember that I indeed said that. "But I meant when she was here. She'll never know we did it…" I had no idea why I was so desperate for this but all I yearned for was Daniel.

He smiles at my ridiculousness, "I really don't think we should do this here…" Before I could protest he gently slides me off of his lap, I frown in disappointment. "Even if you look damn sexy in that night gown of yours." He looks down at my body.

I follow his gaze, honestly forgotten what I was wearing. I was wearing my white silk night gown which had a bit of a plunging neckline with very thin straps. Plus it the bottom only reached to my mid-thigh. Not to mention that it had a silt on the side leading to the top of my thigh. I slid the straps down so it would show more skin

Frowning up at him, I pout, causing him to laugh, "You're cute but, sorry, you made the rule; now you have to follow it."

I glare at him as I groan in frustration. Without warning, I storm off and escape to the room Rachel and I were sharing in under a second. I slip off my nightgown and robe when I enter the room and duck down under the better to take hold of my suitcase, pulling it out for a new change of clothes. Once I find the clothes I like, I clasp my bra to my back making my breasts stay in place. In a blink of an eye, I put up my skinny jeans, pull a black v-neck t-shirt on, and head back upstairs to Daniel.

Before opening the door, I knock lightly on the wood and enter, "Are you ready?"

He frowns, "For what?"

"To hunt… what else would I be talking about?" I question even when I knew the answer. "Let's go right now."

"I thought you were going to wait for Rachel?" I knew she would sleep for a couple more hours and besides, she snuck blood bags without sharing, it wouldn't matter if she missed out this one time.

"Yeah, well, change of plans." I turn to leave but before I do so I add, "Hurry up; I don't want to wait too long. It's a good time of day to go hunting." Instead of darting off like before, I take my time going down the small hallway.

My emotions were just everywhere, I didn't know where to begin. I've had all this sexual tension built up inside of me and I was hoping to unleash it with Daniel today but I guess that wasn't going to happen. I figured if I fed, my emotions wouldn't be at a high. Everything that I was feeling had been heightened because of my blood cravings.

I walk down the stairs two at a time until I stop in the middle of the stairs when I feel Daniel fly past me. He leans against the front door, waiting for me to come down the rest of the way, "Come on, who's the slow one now?"

I smile, despite the mood I was in. "Still you," I call out as I make it the rest of the way. Once I get to the front door, I challenge him, "First one in the forest wins."

"You're on," he says with a cocky grin on his face. "Ready? Set, go!" He opens and closes the door behind us as we run full speed through the tall blades of grass, leading up to the forest. I notice Daniel was farther back than I was, so I create more distance between us by increasing my speed.

I look back at the determined Daniel; I roll my eyes, knowing he would never catch up with me.

The feeling when I ran like this was exhilarating; it made me feel the power I possessed within myself. I felt like a stronger person, like nothing or no one could be able to stop me. Ever, no matter how much they tired, I would always be this.

I come to a halt when I reach the first tree I see in the forest and wait for Daniel to catch up. Not too long afterwards, I'm on the forest floor, being pinned down by Daniel. "That was considered cheating," he says playfully with a smile to match. He holds down my wrists and his legs are on either side of me, preventing me from escaping.

I thrash my arms to try and free myself from his grasp, giggling the entire time, "How was I cheating?"

"You used your extra perks as an advantage; it was supposed to be fair and square," he explains, still smiling, "So you should make it up to me."

"And how am I going to do that?" I glance at my wrists which were held down by Daniel and point out, "Last time I checked, I'm unable to do anything because a certain someone was pinning me down to the ground."

"Mm, I don't know if I shoul-"Daniel drifts off as I come up with the strength to roll myself over, causing me to become the dominant one. There was no way for him to escape or have a chance to get back on top.

"You were saying?" I say smugly, "Now that you're the one who owes _me_, what are you going to do about it?" From the expression on his face, he was content with his defeat, something I was slightly confused with. But he didn't say anything at first, wanting me to be the first one to make the move.

I don't allow him to say anything when he opens his mouth to speak, by placing my index finger over his lips, releasing one of his wrists from my grasp, "Shh," I silence him as I slowly removed my finger from his lips and back to his wrist, "Just give me my reward." I gradually lean over to the point where our chests were touching and press my lips to his mouth.

Daniel seems timid at first but as I remove both of my palms from his wrists, he reluctantly kisses me back. Once my hands released his, he immediately takes hold of both sides of my face and pulls me closer, deepening our kiss. I straighten myself, still on my knees a-striding him without breaking the kiss, he sits up not wanting to break our embrace.

Our embrace ends up being broken anyway when the sound of a tree branch breaking in the distance fills the air. I turn my head and look for the source of the sound, and when I do so, I see something furry run off behind a bush. Without even thinking, I immediately stand up and run after it, leaving Daniel behind.

I had no idea how hungry I was; the adrenaline and the thought of my meal feet in front of me motivate me to go even faster. All I could think about was the blood and how sweetly good it would feel inside my mouth.

That's when I see the creature I've been after running away from me, a fairly decent sized rabbit. It wouldn't be long now until I finally caught it and drank its thick, rusty, fluid. Once I get close enough to it, I dive for the rabbit with my arms outstretched to capture the creature with my hands and soon enough, I know that I caught it from the feel of its soft fur touching the skin of my palms.

My hands are around the rabbit's waist when I lift it and myself off of the ground. "Sorry little guy," I apologize in advance as I give its back a stroke. The rabbit was trying to squirm itself out of my hands but it failed to accomplish its goal, my hands were around the critter too tightly. Before it had a chance to escape, I snap the rabbit's neck like it was a measly twig.

I can feel my fangs starting to lengthen, I wince, it still hurt to release my fangs but not nearly as bad as when they first grew in. Instinctively, my mouth immediately attacks the rabbit's neck, feeling my fangs sink in and penetrate its vein. Eventually, I can feel the blood pouring out and I suck on the wound to get more blood out. All I could think about in that moment was the blood so when I completely drain the creature, I almost don't even notice, I just had to drink every single drop all blood.

"Done?" I hear Daniel question behind me. I lower the rabbit down from my mouth and look back at Daniel. I probably looked horrid with the blood streaming down my mouth, dripping off my chin and my eyes wild and inhuman. He frowns, a look of concern, "You don't look too good… I think you should probably lay off the blood for awhile."

I don't say anything while I look at him for awhile before glancing down at the dead animal in my hands. I can feel myself calming down and start to feel like myself again; my eyes becoming normal and my teeth shrink back to their original form. Before I turn myself to Daniel, I kneel down as I gently lay the rabbit down on a pile of leaves.

I return to Daniel with a sad expression across my face. Once I reach him, I wrap my arms around his neck, "Sorry you had to see me that way. I don't like getting to that point." It was true, I never liked the blood cravings and what it made me become. It turned me into a completely different person, a monster. I'm grateful I hadn't gone out of control and killed a human being; it's only been animals that have faced this monster.

"It's natural Lauren," He assures me as he cradles my face with his hands, "Trust me I've seen worse, but don't worry, I'm going to help you through this." He sounded and looked so sincere that I almost believed him. I had my doubts; it felt like these cravings weren't going to stop anytime soon but I had to trust that it'll all be fine in the end.

Daniel's thumb glides across my bottom lip smearing the blood that was on there. He brings his blood covered thumb to his mouth and pops it into his mouth for just a moment, when he brings it out, it's clean of blood. "I would never be able to sustain on this stuff," he makes a disgusted look, "We'll get human blood soon though, then you'll be good enough for awhile." He smiles when he leans down for a kiss but I pull back a little, he frowns, "What's wrong?"

I hesitate, "I don't want to kiss you with blood all over my mouth; it's a little weird for me." I probably sounded stupid but it was the truth, plus it would make me crave blood even more.

"Oh," he nods, "That's fine, we should probably get back to the house anyway before Rachel wakes up and gets mad for ditching her." Daniel takes hold of my slightly bloodied hand and we walk back over to Katrina's house, without saying a word. I didn't bother speaking because what I could say to Daniel, I was afraid to open my mouth for fear of saying something stupid about last night.

But when we get near the white picket fence, Daniels stops in his tracks, which causes me to do the same. "What's wrong?" I ask Daniel with concern in my voice as he intensively looks around the property.

"Something isn't right," he murmurs. When he looks back to me, his face is serious, "Go see if Rachel is alright. I'll check around the house." Without saying anything else or a wait to my response, he strides off into the house.

"Daniel!" I call out after him but he doesn't turn back. I sigh and accelerate my strides to meet up with him. By the time I get to the front door, he's not there so I decide to follow his orders and check up on Rachel. When I reach the bedroom, I see a lump of mass under the covers and smile at Rachel and tell her, "Come on Rachel, time to wake up."

I give Rachel some time to herself by leaving to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. When I look into the huge circular mirror, I'm surprised to see myself. I did not realize how much blood there was on my face, there was blood all over under my lower lip, and smeared up to my left cheek. I become disgusted with myself; I can't believe how far I let the blood control my actions. I needed to have them under control before I'm able to save my mother, for her sake.

Once I've finished washing the blood off of my face and the blood out of my teeth, I put my things away and return to the guest bedroom. When I return, I see Rachel still lying there looking as if she hadn't moved an inch. I sigh, "Rachel, seriously," I start as I walk towards her on the bed, "We're going to go get some blood soon." I use my hands and try to shake her awake, "Wake-" I stop myself midsentence, the feel of the mass didn't feel hard and firm like flesh, it felt mushy and soft. I throw back the blanket and find that Rachel wasn't there, in the place she was supposed to be, was a couple pillows and a wad of blankets. I gape at the sight.

"Daniel!" I shout, as I run to the staircase, "She's not here Daniel!" I wait a moment for a reply, but none.

Half way up the stairs I hear a gun shoot from behind me and pierce my arm, and when I turn, I find something I didn't expect to see at all. There was Katrina standing at the foot of the stairs, with a gun aimed at me.

Before I say anything I look down at the back of my arm to find a dart with its contents empty, injected into me when it penetrated my skin. I quickly yank it out and throw it, Katrina dodging it easily. And that's when I feel the burning pain inside of me, it felt like every nerve, tissue, and muscle I had was on fire. "Why?" I manage to say.

"I'm protecting my daughter," She simply says as she watches me while I scream in agony. Before I even knew it, I felt myself tumble down the stairs and that's when everything became pitch black.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

Before I open my eyes, I can tell I was in trouble already from the smell of gasoline. Immediately after having realized the smell with another scent, holy water, my eyes flutter open, unprepared for what I was about to see.

My wrists are locked to the chair with multiple chains wrapping around my wrist to the middle of my forearm. I try to move my legs but I can feel the cold of the chain touching my skin, the chains prevent me from escaping. In front of me, I see multiple items scattered across the foyer floor feet from me. I make out a couple of things such as a box of matches and a rifle.

As I look to my left, I'm shocked by what I see. Daniel, who was also chained to a chair in the same manner, was unconscious with his head down and unmoving. I listen in to hear breathing and thankfully, he was. I breathe a sigh of relief, "Daniel," I whisper, "Daniel, wake up!"

Despite my pleas, he doesn't phase, still unconscious from whatever took him out. That's when I begin to worry; the last thing I remember before I went down, from the same thing as what put Daniel under most likely, was Katrina saying she was doing it for her daughter. What was she exactly doing? To my knowledge, she had no idea we were vampires nor did she know about them. Clearly she did now, but we weren't the threat, her husband was.

What if she was to kill us? And why was Rachel not with us, where was she? I prayed that she was alright and we would get out of this situation alive. I wouldn't know what I'd do if Daniel or Rachel had gotten hurt or killed, I felt so guilty for all of this; it all came back to me. If I hadn't met Katrina and try to get to know my father as a person, this wouldn't have happened. And now, we were in a situation where we don't know what will happen to us, if we'll die, if we'll live.

Just when as I was about to call out Daniel's name again, a mysterious man enters the house through the front door. The man wore all black including his jeans, his leather jacket, and his shoes. He looked angry and annoyed at something but when he looked at me, his expression turned into complete hatred. "Katrina," he calls from behind.

I hear the clinking of high heels against the wood of the porch, coming towards the front door. The door opens, and sure enough, it's Katrina standing there with an empty container of gasoline. She tosses the empty container to the side as she enters the house, staring intensively at me.

"Why did you do this? What's going on? Where's Rachel?" I ask frantically, starting to become angry.

"Slow down," she cautions me, "Your friend is… busy at the moment. And I'm surprised you're up, that holy water should have put you under longer."

"What did you do to her?" I snarl, ignoring her comment.

"Nothing, yet. I'll let my husband decide her fate, she's useless to me," She states with a wicked grin on her face, a completely different person from whom I met earlier. "You two on the other hand," she points to both Daniel and I, "Can be of use to me, seeing how you withhold information I need." She walks slowly over to me, just before she bends over and gets in my face; she grabs a fire poker from the fireplace and twirls it in her hands. "Now, you're going to tell me something." We're face to face with each other, both glaring into each other's eyes. "Why are you here?"

"No reason," I lie angrily.

"Alright then, have it your way." After she says this, she jams the fire poker into my gut, wiggles it around a little and rips it back out. I could feel the blood soaking through my clothes. I scream in pain, the feeling was agonizingly unbearable. It felt like I had been ripped open from the inside, stinging and burning. "I'm going to ask you again, why are you here?"

I wanted to tell her the truth in fear of being stabbed again, but I couldn't give her the satisfaction of winning. "We didn't plan on coming here," I murmur as I feel the blood coming up to my esophagus.

"So why did you come here then? Was it to kill me or my husband?" She stiffen, "Or my daughter? That must be it since you would probably like to be Adam's only daughter so you could rule. But guess what? You're not going to; Haley will be the one to control the Fenris pack."

My eyes widen out of surprise, Haley was the one destined to rule? No way, if that was it, every supernatural creature would be searching for her, not me. She was too young to take over but that wouldn't stop the vampires and other werewolves from killing her, would it? "That can't be true… If she was then why am I the one being attacked?"

She shakes her head, "You must have been kept out of the dark… That slut you call mother wasn't supposed to have you since she was only human, the next ruler had to be pure werewolf but no one knew that. Your father decided to fake his death and make our enemies think that you were the rightful heir but really, you aren't. You were only born to protect Haley." An evil grin spreads across her face, "You wasted your time coming here and now you're going to pay for it with your life soon."

"You can go to hell." I spit blood at her, she lifts her arm to stab me again but a voice stops her.

"Wait," Daniel says weakly, "It's not her fault, it was my idea and I only dragged her into this mess." I frown, wondering what he was trying to do.

Katrina raises an eyebrow, "Oh?" She walks over to Daniel with the fire poker in hand. "So you're the one who's trying to end the war. And how do you plan on doing that when you have a measly half werewolf on your side and another weak vampire?" She must have not known that I was a werewolf _and_ a vampire. That was a relief, that would information is the only advantage we truly had on defeating my father.

Daniel smiles, "I bet I'm making more progress than you worthless werewolf assholes."

Katrina smiles back, "So, would you call this progress on my behalf?" Before Daniel could ask what she was going to do, she pierces his lung. Instead of taking it out like she did with me, she leaves it in there like the bitch she was.

"Leave him alone!" I shout. I flail my body around, trying to see if I would be able to slip out of the chains, but instead, they burn me like earlier. I howl at the intolerable ache I feel. "What's happening to me?"

Katrina pulls out the fire poker out of Daniel's lungs. Once she does so, he breathes in oxygen as much as he can. He looks over at me at the same time as I give him a sympathetic look, "The chains are covered with vampire blood so if you move even a centimeter, you're going to feel it sinking into your skin. While Daniel's are covered in holy water." I look away from Daniel and look down at the floor, holding back tears, "What's the matter?" She roughly grabs my chin to force me to look at her. "Are you going to cry?" She questions with a false pout. "You are just like your mother, useless and pathetic."

I clench my fists as I say with venom, "You go can to hell."

"I don't know about me, but I know that you're going to be visiting there real soon."

"Don't you dare touch her," Daniel barks. When I glance over at him, he's clearly still in pain from his wound but he tried his best to hide it.

Katrina sways back over to Daniel, "What if I do? What are you going to do about it?" She gets in his face, like she did with me not too long ago, "Last time I checked, you're chained to this chair, unable to move."

"Maybe when I get out of this," he gestures to his wrists and legs with his head, "I'll kill your precious daughter and make you watch, and then I'll rip out your heart from your chest." He says through gritted teeth.

I couldn't help but just stare at him; he looked like such a different person. He was filled with anger and rage; I didn't like this side of him. And I didn't like the fact that he had just threatened to kill my little sister. But I knew that he was only saying it to get a rise out of Katrina, and that was where he screwed up.

Her expression changes to smug to angry in a split second. Striding over to Daniel, she puts her hand around his throat and puts pressure. "No one threatens my family, and considering the fact that you're the victim here is a pretty stupid move. You're helpless so I wouldn't be saying stuff like that if I were you because I can tear out your throat without thinking twice about it."

With her threat being clearly stated, she yanks her hand back, off of his throat. She must have put a lot of pressure because he starts coughing after she releases him.

"Jared!" She calls for the mysterious man who was lingering by the front door, "Was the girl any trouble?"

"No ma'am," his deep voice replies, "She's headed to Adam right now, he'll know what to do with her."

"Excellent," she grins, "Now, keep an eye on these two while I go make an important phone call." She turns right on her heel and rushes out of the house.

Once Jared hears the front door close from behind him, he walks over to Daniel, "You better watch your tongue boy."

"And who are you?" Daniel asks with a low voice, "Are you her slave or something? Or her little bitch?"

Jared lightly laughs, "You think you are funny?" He walks over to the fireplace and picks up a medium sized bowl filled with some sort of liquid, "Do you want to know what I find funny?" He strides over to me, and throws the liquid onto me, getting it all over my face and torso.

It hits me immediately, the overwhelming burning sensation. I start to cry and scream from the pain as I feel my skin burning from the holy water, which felt more like acid. My skin was sizzling and in pain from the holy water, but the worst part was my eyes; it felt like my eyes were melting away. I manage to see Jared back over to the fireplace to retrieve more, "Please," I croak, "No more."

"You proved your point, just don't hurt her anymore." He looks over to me sympathetically, "This is about me, not her." Jared ignores him and pours more water in the bowl, "I said stop!"

This time Jared stops what he is doing and looks over at Daniel, "You're not in a situation where you are able to tell me what to do, boy." He strides over with the bowl in hand, "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget." He doesn't dump the contents like I thought he would of, instead he just holds the bowl in his hands waiting for Daniel's reaction. When Daniel shows nothing, Jared gently puts the bowl on the floor.

"On second thought, maybe I should start with your girlfriend and then you." He dips him palms into the bowl, the next thing I knew, I was slapped so hard on my cheek that my head is forced to face the other direction. At the same time, I could feel the water burning into my flesh like acid, causing me to cry out.

"What do you want to know?!" Daniel questions.

Jared looks over to Daniel as he takes hold of a handgun from his belt, "I want to know how you plan on defeating Adam and the rest of the clans, Katrina and I know you are hiding something."

Daniel laughs, "You must be stupid if you think I'm going to tell you that vital information." I frown, confused for a minute. Daniel and I never really had a plan, well, that's what I thought anyway. I knew Daniel was planning on finding the necklace but I was never certain. He must be hiding something, something big, and it must have been good.

Jared looks back over to me with a blank expression as he raises the gun, aiming at my chest, "One shot, that's all it takes to kill her. I suggest you answer wisely, the wrong answer will lead to a dead girlfriend."

I hear Daniel sigh with defeat as I stare at the silver of the gun that could possibly end my life, "I'm in search of the amulet Adam requires," my eyes slightly widen at the fact that Daniel is telling the truth, "My source told me I would be able to find it in Alaska."

"What source?"

"Jackie Beaumanoir, just before she was killed."

Jared slightly nods his head in understanding, "That necklace is safe and sound, something that will not be uncovered anytime soon. Yes, I knew Jackie; a very persistent woman. She was a number one threat to the clans, and now, here you two are." He exchanges glances between the two of us until his gaze lands on me, "What to do with you?" I stay silent as I watch him as he retrieves bullets from his pocket and loads the gun in an instant. "Anything you like to add?"

I gulp, "He summarized it all." I look up to Jared's eyes and plead, "You got the information now please just let Daniel go. If you plan on killing me, fine, but just let him go."

"Don't listen to her," Daniel intervenes, "Kill me instead."

Jared chuckles darkly, "Willing to risk your lives just to save the one you love, how pathetic. That's not love, that's suicide." He paces slowly between me and Daniel, "Besides, I can't kill either of you yet; it's only getting started. Now, who is helping you?"

I frown, "We just told you, Jackie."

"There has to be another source!" He screams in my face, "There is no way a vampire can enter the clan grounds without being spotted; so tell me who this person is!"

It didn't matter what I said anymore. I knew my life was going to end very soon, I was sure of that. I gather enough courage to stay strong as I say, "We don't know then, the only way to know that is by asking Jackie; but she's dead so just let us go."

"I guess you'll get a chance to ask her, in hell." Jared raises the gun up to my chest and holds it steady. I shut my eyes and mentally prepare myself for my loss. Daniel cries out no as I hear the gun sound off, signaling my death.

Just when I lost all hope, I hear the bullet pierce through a wall behind me. 'Wait a minute,' I think to myself, 'Something isn't right'. As I open my eyes slowly, the first sight I see is Jared lying face down on the wooden floor, in front of me unconscious. There is a huge gash on the back of his head; I can smell the blood before it comes rushing out of him. I feel my body want to go into frenzy over the blood but somehow I manage to keep it under control.

"You miss me?" I hear a very familiar voice ask me. I look above Jared's body to find Shawn smirking down at me.

I smile, "Shawn! Am I ever glad to see you. But how did you find us?"

Shawn kneels down and tries to pull the chains apart, until he yelps in pain, "Well, I actually work for Jared and when he mentioned you two, I had to come." He looks around the room and eventually finds a pair of bolt cutters and quickly places them on the chains that hold my legs down. Finally, I feel the heavy material fall from my shins.

"Shawn," a woman enters in hurry, "We don't have much time, and I think Katrina is coming back." The beautiful woman looks to be in her early 20's. Her hair matched the outfit she was wearing; black leather jacket with the same shade of skinny jeans and knee high boots to match. She gave me a small smile before she makes her way quickly over to Daniel.

"Alex!" Daniel says with a smile in his voice and face, "It's been too long."

Alex tries touching the chains wrapped around his forearms but she winces, she is hurt by them. "Hey Dan, I've missed you." She smiles at Daniel before she turns and searches for a tool to help her with Daniel's release. Without another instrument to be found, Alex takes in a deep breath before she firmly grasps the chain in both hands and pulls. From the expression on her face, the experience wasn't very pleasant. But just like that, Daniel was free from his restrain.

"Thanks," he murmurs before pulling Alex into a tight embrace. She mutually hugs him back and encloses her arms around his neck.

The feeling of jealously suddenly enters my mind. I shake off the feeling and tell myself that I had nothing to worry about. Besides I didn't even know this girl, Alex, so I didn't really have room to judge or have a reason to be jealous.

"Lauren," Shawn's voice breaks my concentration on Daniel and Alex. "Let's go." I was so focused on Daniel and Alex that I didn't realize that I had been freed from the chains.

I slowly rise from the chair as I feel a headache coming on along with a sting of pain in my abdomen. It was probably from all the torturing I had been through, most likely temporary pain. I look down to my stomach and don't see any exposed flesh; instead I see that it doesn't even look like I had been penetrated.

Before I take a step, Daniel stops me. I feel the warmth of his hand on the side of my face, "Are you okay?" I gaze into his eyes and see worry.

A half smile appears on my face as I reassure him, "Yes, I'm fine." I place my hand on top of his, "I should ask you the same question." I was sure he would be in worse pain than me after what Katrina did to him.

Relief is across his face once I told him I was fine, "I'll be okay." Daniel wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him. "I'm sorry for all of this," he whispers into my hair as I hug my arms around his torso.

Before I can say it wasn't his fault, Alex's voice interrupts, "I hate to break this moment up but, we have to get going."

Daniel and I both sigh as we pull apart. But when we all turn to leave, we find Katrina blocking the exit. "Leaving so soon?" Katrina holds a type of gun in her hands, "You aren't going to get away so easily." When she aims to shoot me, she calls over Shawn, "Shawn, there's another gun in my truck, can you go get it for me?"

Instead of taking Katrina's orders, Shawn stands his ground, "No."

Katrina glowers at Shawn, "Are you siding with them now?" She sighs when he doesn't answer, "Such a waste, you could have been so much more." Katrina changes her aim from me to Shawn, "Goodbye Shawn."

"No!" I shout. Just before she pulls the trigger, I rush over to her and throw her down to floor. I eventually struggle as I try to disarm her; Katrina clearly not giving up without a fight. "You can't win," I inform her.

"I may not, but the backup I just called in will." She uses the gun to beat my face, "There is no chance of you winning, ever." I feel the gun break through my skin but I don't let that stop me from fighting. I overpower her and use the gun's end to hit her in return. I try to be careful and try not to hurt her a lot, I didn't want to hurt her despite everything she put Daniel, Rachel, and I through. I still needed to know where Rachel was, where their hide out was, and I knew Daniel would want to ask other questions also. Besides, I was thinking of Haley, I didn't want my sister growing up without both parents. Growing up without one was hard enough.

I must have struck a little too hard because I hear the crunching of bone shattering. She howls out in pain and releases her grip on the weapon to cup her hands around her nose. Once she does so, I throw it off to the side. "Where's Rachel?"

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" She uncovers her nose to reveal red liquid streaming down from her nose all the way down the rest of her face. I clench my teeth at the sight.

I become mesmeric; all I can think of and focus on is the blood. Slowly, I bring my hand up to Katrina's lower chin and smoothly slide my two first fingers across her chin. I turn my hand over and stare at the red stain imprinted there.

My lips touch the substance and I can smell the sweet scent of the blood, I can almost taste it's essence on the tip of my tongue. Daniel's pleas are only background noise to me as I suck the blood off of my fingers. I notice the expression on Katrina's face, the look of fear and confusion, "What are you?"

I can't control it any longer; the cravings possess everything in my body and mind. I can feel my eyes begin to turn black and red with hunger, my canine teeth extend their length on instinct. "I'm a hybrid," I answer Katrina before I lower my head to her neck and sink my teeth into her artery.

The blood quickly squirts out from the two penetration points I created, but the blood coming out was in too small amounts for my taste so I bite down harder into Katrina's warm skin. When I start to take in gulps off the blood, I leave my fangs where they are and enjoy the blood. I am welcomed with the familiar feeling of the warm liquid soothingly going down my esophagus. Before I continue swallowing the goodness, I savor the taste of the rust-like flavored sweetness. The blood brings my taste buds to life and makes me crave more. I take a huge gulp and continue drinking with no intention of stopping. Katrina finally gives up the fight and goes limp, making it easier to enjoy my meal.

I notice the blood amount begins to be smaller, but that doesn't make me stop. Daniel comes to my side, "I think you've had enough." When I ignore his suggestion, he tries to take Katrina from my grasp. That was when I do something I never expected myself to do, I tighten my grip on Katrina, glare at Daniel and hiss, "Go away!"

Daniel raises his hands in innocence and backs away from me. In that moment, I realize how much of a monster I had become as I look to everyone's faces. Shawn looks to the floor with disgust; Alex and Daniel look to me with pity on their faces. I glance down at Katrina's body and think back to Haley, I just murdered her mother. I never wanted this to happen, how could I face Haley now.

I look back over to Daniel when I feel the tears welling over. "I'm sorry," I mutter before I dash out of the house and dart to the forest. The last thing I hear is Daniel shouting my name, calling me back but I never looked back.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

I eventually find a place where I could be alone to feel guilty; near a meadow with a stream running through it. It was so calm and peaceful; the emotions I wasn't feeling. I come to a halt near a willow tree and slide down the trunk of the tree until I'm forced to sit. Once I bring my knees up to my chest and hug them, I burrow my face and begin to cry.

The guilt was eating me alive; the guilt of my little sister to be parentless at a young age, just like me. Except now she had no father _and_ mother, she was alone. I'm sure she had relatives nearby to take care of her but it would never be the same. She would be forever questioning what had happened to her mother and father and why they disappeared without a trace and without saying goodbye. From experience, it was miserable to not have a father in my life but I couldn't imagine what it was like to not have both parents. And now, because of me, she would know how it felt.

Sure, Katrina was evil and tried to kill Daniel, Rachel, and I but she didn't need to die for that. She was murdered in cold blood, and I was her murderer. I was sure I was able to control the cravings but I chose not to, it was all my fault that Haley didn't have her mother anymore.

And now, I wasn't able to find out where Rachel was going. I could have saved her, but I had to screw that up too. If it wasn't for Daniel and me leaving to hunt, she wouldn't have been captured in the first place. I had no idea how we were going to find Rachel now. Shawn probably knew a thing or two but probably not as much as Katrina knew.

I couldn't fathom the thought of what Rachel was most likely going through right now. If the vampire blood that harmed me was the same as holy water affecting a vampire, I had no idea how she was going to survive that constant pain. She was a strong girl even though I couldn't help but worry about her. The clans were ruthless if it meant to get what they wanted or needed. They didn't care about the person they were inflicting the pain on, they only thought about themselves.

That reminded me of my mother. I couldn't think about my mother being in the Velknar clan's possession without becoming sick to my stomach. I didn't want to think about the torture she was being put through or the disappointment in me. I knew something like this was going to happen but I didn't do anything about it. Everything bad that has ever happened was because of me. Maybe if I just went home now, everything would work out perfectly for everyone, Daniel would be able to save my mother and Rachel without my help. Knowing me, I would probably get in the way of it all.

Thinking of my mother reminded me of much I missed which causes me to cry harder. Why did I have to ruin everything?

My shoulders shake as I sob from the pain, guilt, and the pity I felt. I sob for what felt like hours until a sound comes from the forest and makes me stop. The noise sounded like it belonged to a creature having its life taken away. My head immediately goes up as I look intensively into the woods out of curiosity.

It must have been a wolf finishing off its prey; I immediately shrug it off and try to produce more tears only to discover I couldn't anymore. Just as I start sobbing again, the sound of a leaves crunching beneath something heavier than an average animal. When I look up, I discover Alex standing there holding a rabbit carcass. "Hi," she mutters.

I sniffle, "Hi."

"I noticed you over here and thought you would want something else to feed on." She tosses the dead animal to me, landing with a thud on the left side of me.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," I say quietly as I look away from her.

I hear Alex sigh just before I feel coming closer. Her feet stop right beside me, instead of just standing there like I thought she would have, she takes a seat right next to me. "You know," she begins, "I reacted the same way when I first fed on a human. And that human was the only innocent person I've killed and I haven't looked back since. It's kind of surprising after 200 years of living."

"How is that even possible?"

She laughs, "The cravings are honestly not as bad after 6 months. Well, for me anyway. Everyone's different that way I guess." Alex sighs, "It must be harder for you since you're going through so much. With your friend and mom to worry about, plus being a hybrid must be tough, but I'm sure since you're stronger than the average vampire or werewolf, your willpower is stronger too." I look over at her, "Daniel filled me in."

I roll my eyes before burrowing my head back into my knees, "Of course he did."

"He loves you, you know," she announces to me, "He didn't even have to tell me that in order for me to know. It was in his eyes, yours too."

I smile to myself. Daniel was gloating about me to Alex, that made me feel special, "Thanks I guess." I look at her, "But why are you being so nice to me? You hardly know me. No offense."

She smiles, "None taken." She takes in a breath, "I know what you're going through, well, some of what you're going through anyway. You seemed like you needed the help. Plus, from what Daniel had told me about you, you're the type of person I would get along with very well." She adds, "And I'm not saying any of this because Daniel told me to either."

I laugh, "He would do something like that too." I pause, "What did Daniel say exactly? About me I mean."

"Well," she starts, "Nothing bad if that's what you were curious about. He just said you were struggling with your transition and he thought I could help you better than he could."

I couldn't help but feel disappointed; I was secretly hoping he would say something nicer. Daniel basically made it sound like I was just a burden to him or something. "Oh," I say to Alex with a hint of sadness in my voice.

"But he also mentioned the fact that you are so selfless, kind, and overall an amazing person; the love his life. And he said that wasn't going to change." She gives me a soft smile, "Trust me, he meant what he said. I've never seen him this happy since… well, ever."

My face blushes, he was bragging about me to Alex. It was kind of nice to hear that he talked so highly of me.

Just as I was about to ask Alex if he said anything else, Daniel's voice interrupts me before I can ask. "Lauren!" He says with relief. He turns his attention towards Alex, "Thank you for finding her."

"No problem," Alex says before getting up and onto her feet, "That's my cue to leave. I'll be waiting by the car I guess." She waves to me just before she turns and leaves.

Daniel takes Alex's place and pulls me into his arms. "Are you okay?"

At first I don't say anything, I just hold on to Daniel tightly. I was afraid I would break down in front of him. Despite the talk I had with Alex, I still had a guilty conscious and seeing Daniel right now reminds me how I failed him. "I'm fine," I murmur the lie against his shoulder.

"Doesn't sound like it to me," Daniel points out. He really did know me too well.

I sigh, "It's been… a crazy morning." When he doesn't say anything, I add, "A lot has happened over the past month Daniel. I don't think I'm going to be over it any time soon."

Daniel straightens his arms, pushing me slightly back for him to look me in the face. "I know, I'm not asking you to." He strokes my lower lip with his thumb, wiping blood off of me, "Everything is going to work out, you'll see. You just have to believe it's going to be."

'But how can I when everything around me is slowly disappearing?' I ask myself in my head. I don't say anything to Daniel's words, how could I when I didn't believe in them? I had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen, something I couldn't shake.

Instead of responding, I hug him to me tightly and whisper, "I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know what I'd do without you." And I meant it; he was the one to keep me sane during these hard times and I was eternally grateful for that, "I love you."

Daniel hugs back just as tightly, "I love you too."

We sit there for minutes, content in each other's arm. I wished that we would be able to stay like this and not think about the future and what it may have in store for us. I wanted for us to run away together and never look but I have never bothered mentioning it at that moment, knowing that Daniel would most likely disagree and the fact that we still needed to have my mother and Rachel back.

Daniel is the first one to pull away from me, "We should get going before Katrina's back up shows up." He rises from the ground but before he walks, he outstretches his hand out for me to take it, and I do. He pulls me up and we run out of the forest together, hand in hand. When we emerge from the shades of the trees, I stare out at Alex and Shawn in the distance, packing things into Daniel's car. "What are they doing?"

"Oh, they're just packing up the rest of our luggage in the car. Once they finish, we're leaving this place."

I frown, "Where are we going? Washington right?" I was hoping he would say yes, I needed my mother back to bring me hope that we were going to win this war.

He just looks at me a minute before answering, "No, we're going to Nevada." I stiffen, "Before you say anything, it is crucial that we go to Nevada Something very important is there waiting for me."

"What's so essential that it's more important than rescuing my mother?" I question, being to become angry. That was quite a distance between Nevada and Washington or Canada. I come to a stop when we reach the front steps of Katrina's house.

"I'll explain everything in the car, I promise." He strides over to the passenger door and gestures towards the inside, "Now if you please, get in."

I cross my arms in protest but after pondering for a moment, I grumble as I duck into the car's leather seat. Once Daniel shuts the door for me, I hear him on my left side, in the driver's seat. "Are you mad at me?"

"No." I honestly wasn't despite the circumstances, sure I wanted to get my mother back as soon as possible but I understood that this wasn't about me. This whole trip, everything that we're going through is eventually going to affect the entire vampire and werewolf community. "I'm not mad, I swear."

He smiles, "Good." Before he starts the car and checks the time, he leans over and kisses my cheek. "Are you two ready?" He shouts out to Alex and Shawn as Shawn shuts the truck quietly.

"Yeah," Alex replies just as she climbs into the back seat with ease and with Shawn not far behind. "Let's bail before those werewolf scumbags find out Katrina's gone."

I stiffen at the mention of Katrina just as Daniel smirks when he hits the gas. Making the car's wheels protest at first but soon after, we are on the road at what must have been 80 miles per hour. I still felt guilty for accidently killing Katrina mostly because she had a daughter to raise but now that she was gone, who was going to take care of Haley? Haley! How could I have forgotten about her? We had to go get her! But the school was in the opposite direction than the one we were headed. "Stop the car!" I order.

Daniel stomps on the brakes, making everyone jolt forward. "What?" he wonders in confusion.

"We need to go get Haley," I look behind us to make sure another car wasn't there, "There's no way we're going to leave without her."

Before Daniel responds, Shawn inserts himself, "She's right Daniel, and Haley is rightful heir to the Fenris', we can't let them have her."

"Not just because of that, she's my _sister_ after all. She needs family, even if she doesn't know it yet." I glance at Shawn, "She doesn't even know about any of this."

Daniel doesn't say anything; instead he just turns the car around and we speed off towards the school for Haley.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

"Where is she?" I murmur to myself as I stand in the hallway tapping my foot impatiently. I had to use my mind control abilities for the first time ever; the victim being the office receptionist, telling her to have someone send Haley into the hallway near her classroom.

Alex, Shawn, and Daniel were all waiting for me in the car. It was crucial we got out of town ASAP before the werewolves came into town looking for us.

I was obviously nervous about how to handle Haley and how I would break the news to her about her mother. Seeing that I was the one who murdered her, I had to make it right with Haley. Somehow, I had to be the one to explain what happened to Katrina, why she had to be on the run and what she was going to become later in life. At her age, she must be sensitive to a change as dramatic as this. Plus it didn't help that her father was missing, well, more like he ran out on her but she didn't know that. Either way it was going to be difficult.

As I was about to barge into the classroom myself, Haley comes out with her blonde hair in a ponytail, a pink jacket, with matching jeans and tennis shoes. Once she closes the classroom door shut, she notices it was me. "Hi…" She greets me cautiously.

"Hey Haley," I say with a smile on my face. "Are you ready to leave?" I wasn't sure if I really meant the school or the town, or just the state.

"To leave where?" She sounded a little bit hopeful, maybe she thought I was taking her home or out shopping.

I sigh, unsure how I was going to handle this situation, "I'll explain in the car. But we have to get going now." At the same time I walk down the hall and towards the school's front door, Haley walks beside me. "How was your first day of… 4th grade?" I decide to small talk her a bit before I laid down the news to her.

She smiles, "I wish I was in 4th grade, those kids look so cool. I'm only in 3rd grade," she informs me with disappointment, "Mrs. Kulich is really nice though, and she even gave the whole class candy! See?" Haley turns her Hello Kitty backpack around and opens the front pouch, and lifts a handful of candy out to show me.

"I'm glad you had a good first day," I fake a smile, "Be sure not to eat all that candy at once though."

Haley looks down at her sweets and looks back up at me, "That's what my mom always tells me but I never listen, then I always get a tummy ache afterwards and wish I did listen."

I had to look away; I knew my face would reveal something was wrong. Haley mentioning her mother made this harder, and I didn't even think that was possible. There was no right time to tell her so once we leave the doors of school, I stop her and kneel down to match her level.

"Listen Haley, because this is very important," I pause and glance at the car waiting for us, "We're going to be leaving town for awhile okay. And your mother…" 'Just say it,' I tell myself in my head, 'It shouldn't be this hard, you don't even know this girl very well.' "Your mother isn't going to be coming with us; she'll be here when you come back though."

I mentally kick myself, I should have just said she wouldn't be seeing her again but no, instead I had to lie to her. Maybe this was the best way for now, I would get to know her more and then I could probably tell her when that moment came.

"Oh," She looks down to the concrete, "How come?"

"I… I just thought we could get to know each other more this way," I feed the partial lie, making it believable. I did want to get to know her more but this trip wasn't for the right reasons on her behalf, "I'll explain everything later, I promise."

Haley holds out her pinky, I frown, confused on what she was doing, "When you promise something, you have to pinky swear on it," She explains.

I chuckle. "Pinky swear," I say as I bring my right pinky up to her own, intertwine and shake them at the same time. "C'mon," I stand upright and continue to fake the smile, "Let's get going, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Haley and I walk side by side down the concreted pathway leading down to the road in silence. We get to the side of the Porsche but before I open the door for her, I take one last glance at Haley, knowing that her life was going to change very soon because of me. Whether it was going to be alright or not, I didn't know.

Once I get the door opened for her, I take her backpack to put into the trunk. Alex scoots over closer to Shawn on the left side of the car and shares a weary look with him. Haley doesn't notice as she crawls into the back seat without a problem and immediately buckles herself up just before I shut the car door quietly behind her. I hear the clicking of the trunk unlocking as I make my way behind Daniel's Porsche. In a rush, I quickly pop open the trunk and place Haley's pink backpack on top of Daniel, Rachel, and I's luggage.

When I shut the trunk, something catches my eye, and that's when I notice a tiny black object just below the right tail light. Frowning, I pull off the object and examine it in my hands. At first I brush it off, thinking it was debris that just got on the car, but then, I hear the screeching of tires behind me in the distance. I whip my head towards the sound to see two men in the front seat of a silver Ferrari, speeding towards us.

That's when the thought occurred to me, this black item I was holding in my hands was some sort of tracking device and the two men were most likely the backup Katrina called for.

My instincts kick in right away, I throw the device onto the pavement, causing it to shatter into a bunch of pieces as I run and practically jump into the car. Before Daniel or anyone can ask what was wrong, I explain quickly, "There was a tracking gadget on the car, and the backup called in is closing in on us right now."

Daniel understands what I say and takes action. "Buckle up everyone; it's going to be a rough ride," he warns before pushing on the gas with all his weight. Instantly, we're jerked back in the seats from the velocity. Daniel roughly turns onto the road, making everyone jerk to the left.

I turn my head and look behind us to see if the men were following and sure enough, there was the silver car gaining on us. "Faster Daniel!"

Daniel takes one quick glance in the rearview mirror just before he accelerates our speed, causing everyone to sink into their seats even more.

Haley's panic struck voice enter the air, "What's going on?!"

When I turn to look Haley in the eye to tell her everything was going to fine, a bullet hits the rear windshield. The noise makes Haley scream and all of us duck down except Daniel, who looked determined to get us to safety. "Good thing I had bulletproof windows installed," he smirks until it disappears when he hears something heavy hit the car. "Shit..." he mutters under his breath, "Lauren, can you open the glove compartment for me?"

I do what I'm told and pull open the compartment but when I do, I don't expect to see what lies in there. "What is this?" I question Daniel, my voice filled with concern.

"Just a few necessities," he briefly explains while focusing on the road. "Now load the hand gun and hand it to me."

At first I'm hesitant; bringing a gun right in front of Haley was going to scare her. But at the same time, this was everyone's lives at stake; I didn't have time to spare her feelings. I lock in the bullets and carefully hand the gun to Daniel.

He takes the gun with no worries. When there were no more bullets being fired at us, he rolls down his window and slightly turns himself to the point where he could easily aim and focus driving at the same time. Daniel starts firing at the car, unafraid and confident in what he was doing. "Lauren!" He shouts to me, "Control the wheel and turn at the right."

I gulp, finally feeling the pressure. I breathe out, thinking to myself, 'I can do this; we haven't gotten this far for nothing.' When the turn comes up, I yank the wheel towards me, making the wheels of the car to screech in protest and all of us to be forced to the right.

When I return the wheel back to its original position, I'm relieved to see that everything was okay and that we made the turn. The henchmen were making it more difficult for my complete relief. They were still behind us with no intentions of stopping.

Another car, pulls up next to the Ferrari, and also starts firing at us.

One bullet manages to make its way into the car as it grazes Daniel's arm. The bullet somehow lodges itself in between the windshield and the top of the dashboard.

Daniel winces as he pulls himself back into the car, putting the window up at the same time. He hands the gun to me, "Can you reload that?" He steers the steering wheel with one hand, waiting for me to get more bullets.

"Are you okay?" I ask before I bend down to retrieve the ammunition. I look down at his forearm, the blood rushing out of the wound. Sometimes I forgot we could heal easily and efficiently, but that didn't mean that my worrying was subsided. I always worried about him, no matter what.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just the extra 'weapon' is making it worse than it is." I frown, confusion by what he meant by extra weapon. And then I figured out that the bullet was laced with holy water.

The gun clicks, meaning it was fully loaded again, I toss it at him knowing that he would catch it. "Be careful."

"Always am," he mutters before he rolls down the window once again and begins to aim at our adversaries.

Soon after Daniel fires at them, an ear piercing sound fills the air. Right away, I whip my head to see what had happened and if it was going to affect us. I witness the front left wheel of the silver Ferrari pop and the driver loses control. The car swerves back and forth at first until it finally rams into the other Ferrari. The other Ferrari skids across the road until it lands on its side with the silver Ferrari lying right beside it.

The sight puts a smile on my face; finally we were at last werewolf free, for now anyway.

Lucky that we were on an abandoned road that no one saw what had truly happened. I breathe a sigh of relief. "We're safe now," I state to everyone, mostly to Haley. I turn in my seat to face Shawn, Alex, and Haley as Daniel slows down our speed, "Are you guys alright?"

I notice Haley shaking and taking a hold of Alex's arm for comfort, I sadly smile. Poor girl, she didn't know what was going on and here she was right in the middle of it.

They all nod at once; Alex is the only one to speak out of the three of them, "Now what Daniel?" She says in her British accent, "What if that tracking device also had a mic built in? They'll know where we're going." Alex leans forward and places both of her hands on either seat.

Daniel smirks, "I doubt they were smart enough to be able to do that. And besides, I never really revealed where we were going, only the state."

"Daniel," Alex cautions, "They could have most of their people there by tomorrow morning searching high and low for whatever it is we're searching for or waiting for us to be arrive."

Daniel looks back at Alex, "Relax, I got this. After all the years we've known each other, you act like I don't know a thing when it comes down to these guys."

"Oh it's not acting, I know you don't know what they're capable of. Never underestimate your enemy," Alex says smugly. Daniel doesn't say a word to this and continues driving.

We sit in silence for awhile as the adrenaline in our bodies dies down until Haley's small voice breaks the quietness, "Can you tell me now?" Her voice was shaken, from the events that had happened not even 30 minutes ago.

I sigh, knowing what she's referring to. There was no way I was going to explain everything with everyone else around, especially when we were stuck in a car. Haley would need to be alone after I told her everything; she would need to be alone to gather her thoughts. She wouldn't be able to do that in here.

"I still need to introduce you to everyone before I tell you anything," I explain, smiling to help her not worry. I gesture towards Daniel, "Haley, this is Daniel." Next, I point my first two fingers to both Shawn and Alex, "And these two are Shawn and Alex. Say hi to Haley everyone."

Shawn, Alex, and Daniel all say at once with false enthusiasm that almost felt real, "Hi, Haley."

She smiles, "Hi!" Haley looks over to Shawn and Alex, "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"

I sigh, relieved that she didn't ask about what was going on again. I didn't have the heart to tell her in front of everybody.

Alex looks shocked at Haley's question while Shawn just looked freaked out; "No!" they both shout at the same time and look frantically around themselves to change the topic. Daniel and I laugh at their

"Oh, well, I know you and Daniel are, right Lauren?"

I smile, "Yeah, we are." Daniel and I share a glance and a smile with each other. Daniel reaches for my hand before I return my gaze onto Haley, "How did you know that?"

"Well, you guys are holding hands right now and because I saw you in bed together last night before I went to school. Were you having sex?" Haley asks, sincerely curious.

Shawn and Alex burst out laughing at the question, while Daniel and I were silent, embarrassed. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, making me red from the embarrassment I felt, "No we weren't," I add in, "Besides we've never done anything like that because you're supposed to wait until marriage." A look appears on Daniel's face that said 'that's not true.'

I mouth to him, 'Shut up' before he can say something snarky.

"Oh," Haley says, "My friend told me that people do it even when they aren't marriage though, is that why you're blushing?"

I turn my face away from Haley when I hear Daniel giggling at me, "It's… hot in here, that's all Haley. It has nothing to do with this talk."

"Yeah it does," Daniel mutters.

I glare at him, if only he kept his sarcastic mouth shut. Then I wouldn't feel so awkward. I slap him on his wound on his arm without thinking about it. Right when I do so, I apologize quickly, "Sorry! I forgot."

He holds back a cry of pain. "Its fine," he grumbles, "It'll be healed soon enough anyways."

I roll my eyes. "So," I say trying to change the subject, "Where are we heading to exactly? Enlighten us."

"That's what I've been asking for hours!" Haley exclaims

Daniel gives out a small laugh, "Well, we're heading out to Nevada. But to be more specific, Las Vegas."

Haley doesn't say anything or react to this news, probably not knowing what the city of Las Vegas was. Neither does Daniel and Alex, whiles I on the other hand, was surprised. I never thought of Daniel to be the gambling type of person. For Daniel's sake, there had better be someone and something important there and we're not just going to waste money.

"How come?" Haley asks with curiosity. "I need to know."

"There's something and someone I need down there who can give me answers for something important," Before I get a chance to ask for what exactly, he adds, "Something I can't tell anyone at the moment." He shares a glance with me, a glance that told me I would find out what he was talking about later.

Haley nods in understanding, "When can you tell?"

Daniel looks to me before answering, "Soon, Haley, you'll find out soon enough."


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

"Can I get a toy?!" Haley asks with excitement in her eyes while I'm forced to push the hardly filled cart. "You promised I could get a toy," she pouts

Haley and I were in a local Idaho Wal-Mart while Alex and Shawn went off to steal some more guns that we apparently needed at a nearby store. Daniel was filling his car with gas while we were off fulfilling our duties. I was given the assignment to shop for food to last us a couple days, considering the fact that only two out of the 5 of us were the only ones who needed to be fed. Before, I had Haley pick out some foods that she wanted but of course she chose all junk food so I picked out a few cans of fruit and a few vegetables, water bottles, juice, and other snacks. That was basically our whole cart.

I didn't realize how much I was craving blood until Haley comes closer to me and I see her veins pulsing. I shake my head and ignore the urges and chuckle at the sight of Haley, "Yes, I did." I look into our cart to check if we had everything we needed. "Alright, but we have to hurry up before Daniel wonders where we are."

She jumps up and down with anticipation, cheering at the same time. Immediately, she grabs the other end of the cart and pulls, leading me to the toy section of the store. I let her do so until we come to a close and am forced to slow down.

"Remember," I warn, "The limit is 3 and they have to be able to fit your bag so nothing too big alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll be quick." She skips down the aisle of Barbie dolls and other girly things surrounding. I smile to myself as I watch Haley try to contemplate which toy would be perfect for her and the requirements. Watching her makes me think about the future about kids of my own. There was no way I would be able to conceive a child now.

The realization finally hits me; I would never be able to have children. Sure, there was adoption but I wanted to experience the beauty of pregnancy, I wanted to give birth to my own kids. And now, I couldn't because of what I was. I couldn't blame anyone but myself; Daniel was forced to change me because I was dying. It was something that could have been prevented if I hadn't gone and sacrificed myself to the Velknar pack.

It was my own fault for my newly frozen body. The closest thing I would get to raising my own child was Haley but she wasn't a baby anymore. So I had to stop treating her like one.

I decide to tell her about a part of the secret I was keeping. Just when I take in a breath to speak, I feel someone behind me. I slowly turn to see who was behind me, touching me. I prayed that it wasn't another werewolf, remembering what had happened yesterday as we were leaving Montana for good.

When I see who it is, I let out a sigh of relief and smack their arm, "Daniel!" I harshly whisper, "Stop sneaking up on me like that."

He grins, "Don't make it so easy then. Besides, you'd think your senses would be better by now, maybe even better than mine."

I roll my eyes, "I was just… thinking about stuff and zoned out I guess." I smile and play along with his teasing. I didn't want him to worry about me; we had enough to worry about already and I wasn't about to add myself on that list. "And don't forget who won that race back in Montana; in fact, I could probably beat you at anything. All you need to do is name it."

Daniel laughs at my competitive side, "I think it's cute how you think you can win, but I may take you up on that offer sometime. How about in Vegas?" He winks.

I look at him warily, trying to understand what exactly he had in mind. I open my mouth to ask but am interrupted when he spins me around with my back to him and wraps his arms around my midsection, making me smile. I feel his hot breath on my neck as he says to me, "We can have one night to ourselves, and we can do anything you want."

"Oh yeah?" I inquire.

"Mhmm," he murmurs before his lips start to move against my neck, grazing it.

Despite my relatively new body and the changes I've been dealing with, he still made my heart race with every touch. He could make me lose my train of thought; an incredible power that affected me and only me.

At first, I embrace his touch and thrive off of it, not thinking about anything else but him. Until I think about what Vegas will be like, there of course were a lot of activities to do. I was afraid of him going to one of the strip clubs and spending some quality time with the strippers there. But the main issue was that I didn't want him to get distracted and stay longer than we need to. I needed to save Rachel and my mother as soon as possible and I didn't want Sin City to get in the way of that.

I face towards Daniel, breaking the caress Daniel had on my neck. "Daniel," I started, feeling a little nervous, "How long are we going to be in Las Vegas?"

Daniel tilts his head downwards, our foreheads touching, "Not too long, probably for 2 days. Maybe even one day depending on the person I'm meeting there."

I nod, that wasn't bad. It seemed it would be long but in fact it wasn't long at all, I could handle 2 days, "And who will that be?"

"Well, her name is Carina Walsh and she's a…" he looks around; making sure Haley or anyone else wasn't around to hear. Haley was just at the end of aisle; I could hear her giggling over one of the toys. When he knows no one was listening in, he whispers, "A witch."

I frown, confused on what he was telling me. Witches existed? I thought only werewolves and vampires did, at least those two creatures were the only things I was informed of. Witches seemed to be more abnormal than the concept of werewolves and vampires co-existing. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. "Why didn't you tell me about witches?"

"Witches are rare, they aren't born into a line like some werewolves but they are randomly chosen and the numbers are very few. I didn't think I would come across one ever but one of my vampire acquaintances found her when he was about to feed on Carina but she stopped him with magic and he immediately contacted me. He knew I could find more on her and figured she would be a perfect advantage for our side. Of course, I found out the rest, she's on her way to Vegas right now to visit family."

"Oh," is all I manage to say. I had no idea magic existed, I thought it was only a mere fairy tale to give children hope or something. Wow. "What can witches do?"

"Anything really." Daniel adds, "They're not like the witches you find at the fair or something, although, they can see the future sometimes. But mostly witches are strictly spell books, but they can't magically find a spell and recite it, they need to create their own spells depending on the situation. And that's what this new witch will do for me whether she likes it or not."

I was a little taken aback from Daniel tone when he says that last sentence. He almost sounded menacing. "Why do you need her anyways?" And then I add, "You're not going to hurt her are you?"

He hesitates before answering, "We'll see. If she cooperates, then I won't. All I need her to do is to bring the magic back into an item that I have."

Before asking, I glance back to Haley who was still looking through the pile of stuffed animals, looking for the right one. "And what is this item of yours going to do?"

"It's basically a weapon that can kill werewolves easier; we're going to need it if we plan on defeating Adam and the others. And to get your mother and Rachel back." He sees the worry in my face as he pulls back, Daniel kisses my forehead softly yet quickly. "Don't worry," he assures me, "It's going to all work out, just don't think about it, and focus on now."

How could I not worry when Daniel held possession of a weapon that could kill everyone? Would it kill me and Shawn too? And I never wanted to hurt anyone else, all I wanted was to kill Adam and get my mother and Rachel the hell out of there. The other werewolves were only doing what they thought was best, by following their leader. They would be free if Adam was gone, possibly leaving the vampires alone.

But as I was about to ask Daniel about me and Shawn, Haley comes skipping up to the two of us with a stuffed dog in hand. "What are you guys talking about?"

Daniel is the one to respond, "Nothing important. Just boring adult stuff, things you wouldn't care about."

"Oh, like what?"

"Nothing," I step in, "Did you finish picking out your toys?"

"I have 2, so all I need is one more." She puts her two toys in the cart, "Be right back!" She shouts as she runs down the aisle, back to where she was a minute ago.

Daniel and I watch Haley runs down to the end of the aisle and once she's out of sight, I turn my attention back to Daniel and don't say anything. I wait for him to say something to me but when he doesn't, I speak, "Is that the only reason why we're going to Vegas? Just for that witch?"

He nods slowly, confused by where I was going with this, "Yeah, it's vital for our victory. And I was kind of hoping she could tell us more about you, the hybrid part of you. Why?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Just wondering." I pout as I clasp my hands together behind Daniel's neck, "I miss you." And it was true; I really did miss him and the way we were before all of this happened. Daniel seemed so focused on defeating the werewolves that I felt like the last thing on his mind. "I just want one whole day where I can have you all to myself."

"Like I said, we can try in Vegas if you want," he smirks down at me. "I love you."

I smile when I hear those three words come out of his mouth. It had felt like forever since I last heard them, "I love you too."

Daniel leans his head down, inching closer to my lips for a kiss. Slowly yet surely, I wait for his lips to touch mine, something that I have been craving for a long time now. I close my eyes and wait for the familiar touch that I knew so well. And when I feel it, my lips instantly become hungry for more. I hint Daniel this by taking hold of hair, pulling him closer to me and teasing him with my tongue by grazing his bottom lip with it. Daniel takes the hint and opens his mouth enough for me to enter his mouth. Mine does the same and the taste of him makes me crave more. More than I can have right now.

He's the one to pull back, and when he does, he smiles. "Don't worry," reading the disappointment on my face, "We'll be able to spend more quality time together in a few days, I promise." He leans down and kisses my cheek. "I should probably go get Shawn and Alex; I'll be in front waiting for you."

After unwrapping my arms around him, he walks off without saying another word. And I can't help but feel like something bad was going to happen.

Haley and I walk out of the Wal-Mart with her holding one out of the three bags we take with us. Right away, I see Daniel's Porsche parked where he said he would be. I peer inside to Daniel and wave to him but his attention is elsewhere. Instead of an empty seat beside Daniel, it was occupied by Alex. And they were laughing hysterically from the looks of it.

My fist clenches tighter around the bag's straps as I stop in my tracks at the sight. I was somehow very bothered by this sight. I knew I had nothing to worry about Daniel cheating on me with Alex, they were just friends. At least, that's what I tell myself. I had no idea why I had this pang of jealously inside of me, Daniel wouldn't cheat on me but why does my head tell me yes, he would?

I sigh and push the feelings and the rising blood craving aside. We continue to the car, instead of putting the bags in the trunk, I decide to just leave right away. Haley is the first to enter the car, once she climbs in right next to Shawn and locks her seatbelt in, I do the same. I don't keep the bags in my hands; instead, I give them all to Shawn. I knew he must have been hungry after a couple of days of nonstop driving. "Here," I mutter as I hand him the bags.

I could feel my face flushing from anger and jealously when I look to Daniel and Alex talking to each other with wide smiles across their faces.

I glare at Daniel, who was now driving down towards the interstate. I wanted to believe that Alex and Daniel were friends but I saw the way Alex was looking at him, with longing and desire. I don't say anything; I just glower out the window watching the scenery flash by.

"So," Daniel begins, "How was shopping?"

"Fine," I mutter with annoyance in my voice at the same time as Haley exclaiming 'Fun'. I didn't like the small talk.

I see Daniel frown in the mirror but he doesn't say anything but 'oh', knowing that I was not in the mood to talk right now. So, he continues his conversation with Alex, making me more annoyed.

I zone out of their conversation for a good 10 minutes but then I find myself listening in. Alex and Daniel are now laughing together; Alex is the one to speak through their laughter, "Remember when we went to that Beatles concert? We got them so drunk afterwards that they were partying with us all night and we even were able to get them on top of the queen's palace."

Daniel laughs at the memory, "I remember, too bad Paul passed out before then though, we had to leave him in a nearby dumpster." He smiles at Alex, "Boy those were good times."

That last statement puts me in an even worse mood, 'those were the good times'? As in past tense. What's wrong with the times we were having now? If I was such a nuisance to him, maybe I should just not even bother travel with him. Then he wouldn't have to be dealing with me. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to stay with him. If he had a device that could defeat the werewolves, I had to suck it up; despite how angry I was towards Daniel right now.

My hand tightens against my jean pant leg, the yearning for blood becoming stronger with each passing minute. It fuels my anger even more, pissing me off so much so that I could just rip someone's head off. I fight off my raging emotions for a short period of time until it becomes unbearable. Tears fall from my face, I didn't want to hurt Haley; she was the closest blood source to me.

"Stop the car," I manage to say through clenched teeth.

Daniel takes one look at me and sees my eyes, seeing the change in them from my usual brown eyes to black with hints of red. He immediately pulls over without protesting.

The moment that he stops the car, I push open the door and run into the nearby wood with all my strength. I run in search for a creature to sustain my hunger until a sharp pain in my gut stops me and makes me collapse to the ground.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

I don't make an attempt to get up because the pain becomes much worse. I can feel the pain spreading from a section of my gut to my whole stomach as I feel it coming up my esophagus.

Tears become more frequent as my hunger becomes worse; I become even more frustrated from the fact that there was nothing I was able to do about it. I try to move but I find myself in writhing pain; I am forced to sit still and do nothing.

What was going on with me? Was I dying? Whatever it was, it sure felt like it. I have gone on for a couple days without blood but it wouldn't have this effect on me. The cravings were understandable, I wasn't even a month old vampire/werewolf, and my body had to adjust to this new change. What I didn't understand was why the cravings would be hurting me this badly.

I stare up at the dark starry night sky, part of it blocked by the lights of the highway. My eyes search for the constellations, thinking it would help me take my mind off of the pain and blood. My mind flashes back to a moment with my mother when I was 7:

"_Mom," I call out as I sit up on a blanket in the middle of our acre of backyard. "Come lay with me!" _

_I hear the distant laughing of my mother coming closer to where I was lying. "Alright, I'm coming. Calm down." Soon enough, I feel her boney arms around me, pulling me up onto her lap. I nestle my head into her chest and continue to look up at the clear night sky. She notices my stare and notes, "You know, tonight is a perfect night to see the constellations." _

_I frown, not knowing what those were at the time, "What is a constellation?" _

_My mother smiles down at me, "A constellation is a group of stars that form an image in the sky. Look."She points upward towards the stars. _

_I follow the direction in which her finger was pointing, but when I look up I don't see an image like she told me there was going to be, "I don't see anything. There are still stars, no picture." _

_She giggles, "No, you have to look up and find an outline of the pattern. Think of it as connect the dots." _

"_But there's so many of them! How do you know?" I whine. _

_Her smile widens, "Well, you see that bright star," she points up to the Northern star. "And then when you look to the right of it, there are two more stars, making a handle. A little under and next to those stars is almost a rectangle. Do you see it?" _

_I squat, and follow her finger to where she points. I look up for awhile, about to give up on finding it until I finally see something looking like a scooper of some sorts. "I see it!" I exclaim, "I see it!"_

"_Good job!" She congratulates me on my discovery and we stay silent for awhile, looking for other constellations in the sky. But my attention leaves the skies when my mother speaks, "Your father is up there somewhere." _

_I stare at her face, seeing the sadness and despair there in her eyes. At that time, I didn't remember much about him nor did I know about his betrayal towards my mother and me. All I could think when I saw my mother with such grief was that my father must have been a great guy to have this much of an effect on her. _

_My arms entwine around the back of her neck, "It's okay mommy," I comfort her, "I know he is, maybe he's an angel! Or part of the big dipper! Or even a-"_

Just like that, I'm brought back to reality, the rustle of bushes near me interrupting the flashback. I look towards the source of the sound and see Daniel rushing towards me. He looks concerned and confused as to why I was lying on the ground. "What's going on?"

"You know me," I start to say sarcastically, starting to sit up; "I thought I would have you pull over just so I can stargaze. It's not like we have anywhere important to go." I laugh at my little joke but when I do, the pain gets worse in a matter of seconds reaching up to my throat. My throat becomes very dry and sore. I start coughing from the irritation I feel at the back of my throat, I cough hysterically, not able to stop.

I feel Daniel's hands take hold of my shoulders and hold me to his body, "Seriously, what's wrong?"

In between coughs I say," I have no idea, I'm craving blood more than usual and now I'm getting pain in my torso." My coughs don't stop once I finish my sentence, they become worse.

When I thought it would never stop, I feel a liquid crawling up my throat and I have no choice but to cough it up. I turn away from Daniel just before I throw up. Instead of vomit I expected to see, I only see red substance, blood. I frown at it, becoming scared and confused with what was happening to me.

Daniel stares at it too while holding me tighter than he was before. I assumed he was nervous about what was going to happen to me because he looked petrified.

He sets me back down to the ground and orders, "Wait here, I'll be right back." And he's gone in an instant.

I sigh and look back up to the stars, "Where else was I going to go?" I ask to Daniel, even though he wasn't there.

I lie there silent for a minute, waiting for his return with whatever he was getting or doing. I continue staring at the twinkle of the stars like what my mom and I used to do. I didn't know how much I missed her until now, despite everything, she had been there for me through thick and thin. I loved her so much; I couldn't stand the thought of anything else happening to her.

The light from the stars begin to fade and blur the longer I lie on the cold ground, surrounded by trees and other vegetation. I can feel the life draining from me and soon, the tickle at the back of my throat comes back. I cough but not as badly as I had beforehand

Warm liquid comes up from my stomach; when it becomes unbearable to hold it back; I quickly sit up when I'm forced to empty my stomach content. I watch the blood seep through the grass blades that lay beneath me, the green of the grass starting to become a sickly brownish red color.

Okay, now I was becoming afraid about what was happening to me now. I can't die, my new life has only just begun, I needed to rescue my mom and Rachel, and I needed to be with Daniel despite my raging jealously between his and Alex's relationship. I wanted to tell Haley the truth and not have her find out from someone else, it had to come from me. Hopefully Daniel came back with something that could help me; otherwise, I was going to die and I wasn't ready for that.

Soon, I feel Daniel kneeling down beside me. "Drink," he orders me, holding out a raccoon close to my face.

I was surprised by how quickly I felt my face change into my vampire form, usually it would take a couple seconds but my teeth come out even before Daniel was near me. Maybe it was the faint scent of fresh blood.

My teeth sink into the carcass with ease, the blood practically spraying into my mouth. Once the blood seeps into my taste buds and down my parched throat, I knew right away this wasn't going to work. The pain was still there and my blood lust was more present than ever, even it was starting to make my discomfort become less evident.

When I look into Daniel's worried eyes with my own black, vampire eyes, I make out something stirring him. Frustration, anger, whatever it was, I knew that I wasn't about to like it.

"Is it helping?" he asks, his concerned eyes looking into mine also.

I couldn't handle the taste of this weak blood I was drinking so I pull away from the blood source, unsatisfied, "No." I wipe off blood from my mouth with the sleeve of my jacket. "It's not changing anything," my voice becomes weak as I croak, "I don't know if I have much time left Daniel."

His expression changes from concern to a combination of worry, fear, and sadness. He cups a hand around my flushed face, "Don't say that, you'll be okay."

From the sounds of it, it sounded like he was telling himself that rather than me. I already knew I wasn't going to make it, I could feel myself fading. My breathing becomes heavier when they start to feel dry, "Daniel, I won't be but that's fine." I have to take in a deep breath before adding, "Because if I never went through any of this, I wouldn't have met and fallen in love with you."

A weak smile appears on his face, "Don't be saying your goodbyes, you're going to make it okay? You're going to be alright." He looks back towards the highway, "I'll be right back, keep holding on for me." Before he leaves, he bows his head down and kisses my lips. But just like that, the warmth of his lips isn't on mine anymore and he's gone.

I struggle to breathe now, my body becoming weaker and weaker with each passing minute. My eyes become heavy and tired; making it even harder for me to see, but I manage to fight off the urge to shut them permanently.

Tires screeching against the pavement fill my ears, the sound coming from the direction in which Daniel took off.

Great, Daniel left me here to die. He couldn't care the thought of me dying in front of him again so he decided to leave, I didn't blame him. But at the same time, it would have been nice to have him by my side before I passed away. Daniel was the love of my life; we were supposed to stick with each other through thick and thin.

The all too familiar stinging in my eyeball comes back just before I feel the salty essence fall off of my cheek. I didn't want to cry from self pity but I couldn't help it, these weren't the last moments I thought I would be having.

I manage to wipe away the tear when I hear footsteps coming towards me, the footsteps I thought belonged to Daniel until I saw Shawn's blonde hair gleaming under the moon's light. "Shawn?" I ask limply.

"Oh my god Lauren," Shawn looks as if he's see a ghost, that's what I probably looked like right now. "What's happening?"

"I have no idea," I manage to get out of my dying body. "Don't leave me," I beg of him, I couldn't be alone right now; I needed someone with me before death came.

He pulls me into his arms, and rubs circle in my back, "Don't worry, I'm not going to."

"How's Haley?"

"She's fine, worried and confused but fine." He looks down into my eyes, "She really likes you, you know that right?"

I smile, "Yeah, she's my sister after all." I pause and look into the brush, somehow hoping that Daniel would come back. I look back to Shawn, "I want you to be the one to tell her everything."

He smiles back, "I'll be sure to do that."

"Thank you. Not just for this but you for everything you've done for me."

"You give me too much credit. Thank Daniel, not me. I have hardly done anything," he says modestly.

I open my mouth to speak but the urge to vomit overpowers me. Before I vomit up the blood, I turn my head away from Shawn. It doesn't seem to stop. I've vomited enough to last me a lifetime, I just wanted it to end already.

Finally, it stops but that's when I hear the familiar footsteps, Daniel was coming back for me. But when I look up, I'm surprised by what he has along with him. Or I should say, who.

"Daniel?" I question as I pull away from Shawn and sit up, "What's going on?" I ask, knowing the answer already. He's dragging along a strange woman, whom I've never met before; Daniel pushes her as if she were nothing to the ground once he reaches me. I know that he wants me to feed on fresh, human blood.

"You," Daniel pulls the woman up to match my level just before he bites down on her wrist, "are going to drink." He practically throws the bloodied wrist into my face, urging me to drink.

I look back and forth between the woman's face and her wrist. She looked terrified, crying and shaking her head no. I may not know who this woman was but I knew for certain she had a life, a human life. There had to be another way for me to survive whatever I was going through

Even though the blood smelled divine and looked like it too, I resist. "No."

The woman looks more relieved when I utter that simple word, but I couldn't say the same for Daniel. "No? What do you mean no?"

"No as in, I'm not feeding from her." Now, I'm forced to l lie against Shawn. I didn't have the strength to keep myself up anymore. "I can't do it."

"Lauren," He says a little harshly, "I'm not letting you die because of your 'moral code'. I know you're taking after me in that department, but I'm able to not feed off humans anymore but you can't. In order for you to be able to do that, you have to get used to feeding on people. So start now." He holds out her wrist in my face one last time but when I don't make a move, he adds, "I'll stop you when you've had enough."

I guess that was alright, but I still had an uneasy feeling about all of this. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to stop even with Daniel's help. I look back to Shawn, who I know would have a say in this. But he doesn't say anything about the situation, he knew Daniel was right.

I sigh when I inhale the sweet scent of her blood. I take one last glance at the scared woman. "I'm sorry," I apologize just before my teeth sink into her soft flesh.

The feeling of having fresh blood in my mouth was sensational, the first time I felt this great was when I fed from Katrina but this time, and Daniel is going to help me stop. I might as well enjoy this while I could.

My teeth go in deeper, creating a bigger wound. I zone out the screaming of the woman but her screaming is short when Daniel covers her mouth with his hand. I hear him whisper to her, "Trust me, screaming will get you nowhere, only dead."

I don't react to his statement. I ignore everything around me, close my eyes, and indulge in my meal. The blood was settling in well, the hot liquid, going down my esophagus smoothly than before. I thrive off the feeling of comfort and pleasure coming from the blood, not caring about anything but filling my almost emptied stomach.

But soon, I snap back into reality when Daniel calls my name. And that's when I realize, he's ordering me to stop what I was doing. But how could I when I enjoyed it so much?

That's when I think about who I was feeding on, this innocent girl who probably did nothing wrong. She most likely had someone that meant something to her, perhaps a family to go back to. I wasn't about to kill her just for my selfish needs, I didn't want to bring the anguish of someone with her death or disappearance.

It takes every inch of me to remove my teeth from around her flesh, but eventually I do so, and push her wrist away from me before I changed my mind.

I smile to myself, at my accomplishment and then I look to Daniel, who was watching for my reaction, and when he sees my smile, he instantly breaths out a sigh of relief and smiles too. He then looks to the shaken woman and says, "Forget what you saw and felt here. Now leave and don't come back."

She of course, does what she is told without a single word. I couldn't help but wonder if she was alright, I did just drink from her after all. But, I knew she would be okay with some rest and food in her system.

"Do you feel any better?" Shawn asks before Daniel.

Come to think of it, I was. The pain that I had been feeling throughout my body had vanished. I could finally breathe easier without the coughing and vomiting. "Yeah, I actually do." To put it to the test, I lift myself off the ground and stand up tall. "I feel… normal." I smile again to Daniel as I run into his arms with relief written all over my face.

Daniel hugs me back as he wraps his arms around my waist. I nuzzle my face into his chest, the familiar scent of him calming me. He doesn't say anything, and neither do I. There was nothing to be said, we just needed to enjoy the fact that I wasn't dying anymore.

But my happiness was short lived when out of nowhere, when aching began to occur in my stomach once again. I pull back, away from Daniel frowning. "What's wrong?" He asks, equally confused.

"I… I don't know. I think it's coming back." I place a hand on my stomach, longing for the pain to subside. "Daniel, I-" My sentence was interrupted when blood begins to creep up my throat and out of my mouth in a disturbing manner. I fall to the ground in pain. On all fours, I continue coughing at the same time as I throw up the blood I drank not even 5 minutes ago.

"What's wrong with her?!" Shawn demands to Daniel at the same time as he rushes to my side. Daniel soothes my back as I continue emptying my stomach.

"I have no idea! You think if I knew she would still be like this?" Daniel says sarcastically.

"Well, she needs blood, that's for sure." Shawn states, trying to think of some way to ease my pain, "What have you tried?"

Daniel just rolls his eyes, thinking that Shawn had no idea how to fix this. "Animal and human blood; why does it matter?"

"What if, you know," Shawn appears nervous and careful about what he was about to say, fidgeting with his coast sleeves. Whatever it was, I would be willing to try it. "What if you gave her your blood to drink?"

"Shawn-" Daniel starts before I cut him off.

"Let's do it." I look into his eyes, pleading, "Please."

Daniel sighs without protesting Shawn's idea. I knew what he was thinking, that he could possibly kill me with his blood but Daniel immediately takes action anyways by cutting his wrist with a nearby rock, and placing it into my mouth, forcing me to drink. "There you go, drink up."

I was gladly about to drink up for the blood that was in my mouth right now, Daniel's blood was delicious to me. Every nerve in my body jolts to life as I take in his fluid, wanting more and more with each swallow. His blood was some how much tastier than all the blood I've ever had combined. It made me feel almost… human again.

But I don't think Daniel feels the same because when I look deep into his bright eyes, I didn't see the same excitement or rush I'm feeling. Instead he stares at me with love, the love that I've always felt and knew he had for me.

Eventually, I pull away satisfied; not wanting to drain anymore of Daniel's blood, even if the taste of it was amazing. I never had felt closer to him than in that moment, if only Daniel could have experienced what I just had then he would understand. I wasn't going to tell him of course. Not just because I didn't want to sound crazy but also because he wouldn't be able to experience it with me since werewolf blood was dangerous to them. I could possibly kill him and I wasn't about to take that risk.

"So?" Both Daniel and Shawn question at the same time.

Still fixated by Daniel's blood I wait a minute before I respond, also making sure it worked. When I felt fine, no aches or pains, or the strange over powering craving for blood, or vomiting, or the coughing; it was all gone. "I feel great, I think it's really gone this time," I grin to myself.

I don't get up right away like I had previously, giving myself time this time to see if Daniel's vampire blood truly worked. And when it doesn't, relief washes over my body.

Daniel and Shawn, who had been standing back giving me some air, run up to me and help me rise off the ground. "I'm fine guys, really." But of course they ignore me and continue helping me up. "Thanks," I mutter.

Once I'm stable on my feet, Shawn wraps his arms around me a little too tightly into a bear hug. Laughing I say, "Alright, I'm glad to see you're fine too."

He pulls back and straightens his arms, gently pushing me back, "It's a relief you see you're alright, you had me worried for a minute there." He grins down at me just before I look to Daniel. And he looked a little upset with Shawn but other than that, he seemed fine.

I grin back at him, "Me too, I'm sorry for the scare but I should be alright for awhile." 'I hope,' I think to myself. I didn't know this was only a temporary thing or what, I hoped it was but at the same time I knew that it wasn't. From what I could tell, Daniel had clearly hasn't seen something like this and he's been around for about 200 years. So of course he knew a thing or two in the supernatural world. "We should probably go…" I didn't want Haley to worry, and I thought it was about time to tell her what was going on. No more stalling.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

"Put me down Daniel," I protest in his arms. Daniel had insisted on carrying me on the way back to the car, thinking that I was still weak from the condition I was in. "I said I was fine."

"Yeah, well whenever you say that it always turns out to be not fine," He continues walking through the vegetation, and that's when we see the Porsche right where we left it. Alex was in the backseat next to Haley talking to her, and from the looks of it, Haley was uninterested. Haley's face lights up at the sight of me, she must have been worried.

I secretly hoped that maybe Alex was trying to explain the situation. But I knew she wouldn't reveal anything too important to her, that was up to me and that was what I was about to once we drove off away from here.

Daniel opens the passenger car door with one hand, the other holding me to his chest. When he gets the door opened all the way, Daniel bends down and places me gently in the seat as if I were a child. "I could have gotten in the car myself you know…"

He of course just ignores me and slams the door shut while he is walking to the other side of the car along with Shawn, who just jumps in the back beside Haley. Without a word, Daniel puts the vehicle into drive, drives forward and speeds away down the highway.

At first, everyone is silent, only the sound of cars going by and the radio softly playing some indie rock music filled the air. The silence was short lived when Haley speaks, "Why do you have blood on your shirt?"

I instantly become nervous; I had no idea how she was going to react to this news that everyone around her in the car was not human. I'd be surprised if she would actually believe me at first, thinking that I was joking. But then it would most likely sink in, either way, it was going to be a bad reaction. She was going to be afraid of me now and that scared me. I wanted a relationship with her; as much as I knew I was her only relative besides Adam but he wasn't going to be in her life anymore. The news I was about to tell her was going to forever change her.

My head tilts towards the direction of her voice. "Haley," I start off, "I have something to tell you."

She doesn't say anything, she only waits for me to continue, "I don't know if I can say this, or even know how to tell you this. So, that's why I'm going to be straight forward and to the point with you, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." 'Here it goes' I mentally tell myself just as I inhale deeply before saying, "The truth is Haley, that Daniel, Alex, and I aren't… humans. We're actually vampires. Shawn on the other hand, is a werewolf and so am I. I'm both."

Everyone looks to Haley to hear and watch her reaction. At first, she didn't know what to do, no expression on her face. But after a minute of anticipating a response, she finally says, "Really?" She pauses for a minute until she adds, "…. That's so cool!"

"Wait… what?" I was taken aback by her reaction, I expect fear or shock, what I didn't expect was coolness.

"I think that's cool! Is it just like Twilight where you guys can sparkle in the sun?" She looks to Shawn, "Can you turn into a huge wolf and everything?"

Shawn nods in agreement, "Yeah, that's about right."

"What are you talking about sparkle in the sun?" Daniel asks before Haley could get excited about Shawn being a wolf, "Can someone please explain to me what Twilight is?" I couldn't laugh at him since I was still shocked that Haley was perfectly fine with what we were.

She jumps up and down in her seat, the seatbelt holding her in place, "Twilight is this awesome movie about vampires and werewolves and the vampires sparkle in the sun and werewolves can change into huge wolves. Oh and the two main people are Edward and Bella and she's a human, Edward is a vampire and they fall in love. And then, Jacob is a werewolf and he falls in love with her too and-"

I shake off my shock and replace it with laugher, "Okay, slow down. I think he's got the just of it."

"The vampires only sparkle in the sun? What are they, a disco ball?" Everyone laughs at Daniel's sarcasm and then he asks out of curiosity. "What else can they do?"

"Well, they have super speed and they can't be killed unless you tear them about and burn the pieces. Oh and they're really strong and each have a different special power. Like how Edward can read minds or Alice can see into the future. Alice is Edward's sister." Haley states this with a matter of fact tone and it made me smile. But at the same time, it made me feel nervous. The real vampires weren't like this at all; they weren't the nice, kid friendly vampires she had built in her mind. We were much scarier than that, well, some of us anyway. Once she figured that out, I feared that she wouldn't be able to handle it and never want to see me again.

I open my mouth to tell Haley about the things real vampires can do, but just as I do so, Alex is the one to speak. "Vampires in the real world aren't exactly like that. For one, we do have speed, and strength but we don't sparkle in the sun." She shivers at the thought, "Actually, we aren't affected by the sun nor do we have special abilities besides mind control."

"That's it? Why not?" Haley pouts.

"I honestly have no idea; I guess we were just created that way." I clench my seat, Alex was stealing my moment to really bond with Haley, and besides, I was the one to tell her all of this. It was my right. Although, I'm sure Alex didn't mean to but still. "Although, I think Daniel has a special ability. The ability of sucking."

Daniel smiles back to Alex, "Ha. Ha. Very funny. But in all seriousness Haley, we're better than those girly Twilight vampires. Trust me."

I give Daniel a warning look saying 'Don't say anything stupid'. He notices this, he frowns in confusion and mouths, 'What?'

I roll my eyes and whisper so softly that only non humans could hear, 'You know what don't encourage her.'

It was his turn to roll his eyes, 'Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen'

I don't say anything to this and turn my head towards the window and view the flash of trees going by, making the different shades of green blur. I didn't know why I was getting so protective of Haley; it wasn't just because she was my half sister, there was another reason. I didn't want her to have the life like mine, destined to murder. While other aspects of my life were perfect, being able to live forever and being able to spend it with the love of my life, there were downfalls. The constant craving for blood, not being able to procreate, and not being human mostly were a few. I didn't want her obsession or fascination with vampires make her go looking for trouble or worse, for her to be turned into one.

Just then, my stomach starts to feel empty. I suddenly feel famished and that's when I knew my blood craving was back. For human or vampire blood, I couldn't tell.

I press a hand to my stomach and look to Daniel gesturing my head towards my stomach, hoping he would understand what I was getting at.

And he did. His expression matching the way he was feeling, confused, "Again?" He questions aloud, "It hasn't even been an hour yet." I glance down at the clock, the light reading it was about midnight. If it wasn't an hour, it was pretty close to it.

I shrug my shoulders not knowing I could say. I didn't want Haley to know I was craving blood, what if it freaked her out? "It's fine, I can wait."

Instead of letting it go like I thought he would, Daniel presses the issue. "No, you're not waiting. Last time that happened, you almost died. So," He removes his right hand off of the steering wheel and I knew then what he was doing. He sinks his fangs into the edge of his palm, and instantly, he bleeds. While offering his hand to me he adds, "Drink up."

"Are you crazy?" I murmur, "I'm not doing this in front of her." I exchange glances between Daniel and Haley, waiting for her reaction. She doesn't even notice because she was talking to Alex about vampires.

"She'll see it either way, hey, she already knows what we are and she's fine with it. This can't be any worse."

Point taken. I knew he was right, she wouldn't mind it too much but I still couldn't help but be cautious. When I look back to Haley, she looks at me with a waiting expression. "Why do you have to drink his blood? He's not a person, he's a vampire."

"We don't know either but it's keeping her alive," Daniel explains. "She needs to drink it but she's refusing to right now."

"Drink it Lauren!" Haley exasperates, "I don't want you to die." The thought of my death brings a sense of sadness to her eyes. I smirk, not at her sadness or the thought of me dying but to know that she cares about my life.

I sigh, "Fine." I take hold of Daniel's hand with both of mine, "Remind me to kill you when we get to Vegas." I knew he was playing a guilt trap on Haley because he knew if she wanted me to do it, I would drink from him. It wasn't a friendly move.

He smirks at my threat, brushing it off, "You'll thank me later."

"I doubt that," I mutter jokingly. I look to Haley one last time and notice her gaze on Daniel's bloodied hand, waiting for me to drink. Knowing that Haley was okay with this, my fangs slide out of my gums with ease and deepen the piercings Daniel had left for me. Even more blood comes out, splattering in my mouth. The sensation soothes me and makes me close my eyes to enjoy the taste more.

I pull back and tilt my head back; reveling in the irresistible taste of Daniels' blood and the wonderful feeling it brought me.

I can feel the blood coming down my mouth but I don't care to wipe it away, all I want to do is get more of it. Without hesitation, my teeth set into the holes I already indented in his hand and begin to drink again.

Every good feeling I've ever had about Daniel enters my mind at that moment. I'm reminded of everything we've ever been through, the good and the bad. I'm suddenly reminded about the first time we said 'I love you' to each other right after I found out he was a vampire. That night was the first time I ever felt complete and it was all thanks to him. There may have been bad moments in our relationship but with everything we had been through, it was worth it because it brought me closer to him. He was my true love.

In that moment I realized that I wanted more. Wanted more of him physically, emotionally, and mentally; I wanted us to take that next step in our relationship. Sure we were in a serious relationship but I needed more, I wanted him to be all mine. It was crazy but I wanted to marry him with the little time we have left together.

I try pushing the idea out of mind; after all, Daniel and I only knew each other for a little over a year now. Daniel wouldn't really be up to it, would he? It was a bad idea especially since we were so young, well, I was anyway.

Still, I can't get the thought of Daniel being my husband away from my thoughts. Something about it appealed to me, I didn't know exactly what but it made me want to be his.

"Lauren," Daniel warns in his velvet voice, "I think you had enough."

I can't get myself to pull away; I become consumed in the blood, too fixated by it. It wasn't just the taste that was addictive; it was the feeling of love, joy, happiness, and the completeness I felt with each drop of his essence.

He sighs before telling me calmly, "I would prefer having a hand you know."

With all my strength I manage to pull away. The contemplation of hurting or draining Daniel gives me the motivation to stop drinking. "Sorry," I whisper just before I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, "It just… hit the spot."

"I can see why, especially with _my_ blood," he teases with a smirk tugging on his lips. "You can't resist me."

I quirk an eyebrow at his cockiness but don't say anything at first. I open my mouth to speak but I am interrupted by the sound of Haley's curious voice. Not sounding unfazed by what she just saw me do, "Can you drink people blood too Lauren?"

Before I answer, I hesitate. I didn't want to freak her out but ye again, she did just witness me drinking from Daniel's hand. I nod in reply, "Yeah, I can." I sigh before adding, "Listen, Haley, I don't mean to overwhelm you with any of this. If you need time, we'll give you it once we get to Nevada."

"Are you kidding?" Haley says, "I love being friends with vampires and werewolves, wait till I tell everyone about you guys! They'll all love you and-!"

"Whoa whoa," I interrupt her mid sentence, "You can't tell anyone about any of this Haley. People can't know what we are. It's great that you're fine with the idea of us but others may not be and that can be dangerous. Promise me that you won't tell a soul."

She pouts, disappointed at the thought of not bragging about us to her friends. "I promise."

"Good," I sit back against the seat and stare out to the road ahead.

It had been silent for not even a minute until Haley asks, "What if I told two people?"

"Sorry, but no," I say firmly.

"One person?"

Daniel chuckles, "This is going to be a long trip."


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

When Daniel pulls up to the front of the hotel, and I'm surprised to see how tall and elegant the Wynn Hotel really was. I could only briefly see what was being held inside, but from what I could tell it looked nice. Nicer than the local hotel in Lamia. Since I was from a small town, and I had never left it until now, I had no idea what a luxury hotel looked like. The appearance of the hotel wasn't the only thing that surprised me or caught my eye; it was the employees who started jogging over to our car as we were getting out. "Welcome to the Wynn Hotel, Mr. Westfall." The three employees say to Daniel in unison.

"Don't worry Miss," One of the three employees says to me as I was about to open the trunk. He looked to be the oldest one, "We'll take care of your luggage."

"Oh," is all I can say. I wanted to do it myself, I was perfectly capable but I let it slide and decide to let them do their jobs, "Thank you." I slide my hand off of the handle and walk over to Daniel slightly confused, "Why are they doing that?"

Daniel raises an eyebrow at my question. From the look on his face, he was debating on whether or not I was being serious, "It's their job to, plus, I may have called ahead to make sure we got the five star treatment."

"Really Daniel? You had to mind control them?" I mutter harshly. The fact that Daniel mind controlled everyone to get his own way bothered me, it just wasn't right. They were human beings, not puppets for him to control. "Can you please not do that anymore?"

Before Daniel could answer, one of the hotel employees walks up to Daniel to ask, "Would you like me to park your car sir?"

"Please," he says with a half-grin on his face as he holds out his finger with the keys dangling from it, "Don't scratch it though, or I'll make you pay for a new paint job. Or worse, I can have you fired. Is that clear?"

"Understood sir," the younger gentleman mumbles before walking over to the other side of the vehicle and drives off.

Daniel laughs to himself as a discouraged expression appears on my face, "Did you see the look on his face? The poor guy looked scared." His head turns to look at me, still smiling but when he sees my expression, his smile turns to confusion, "What?"

"Nothing," I don't even bother waiting for Alex or Shawn when I walk off away from Daniel with Haley close behind. But my strides were short lived when Daniel pulls me back, "It was just a little fun, don't worry about it. Besides, I didn't mind control him if that's why you're upset right now."

"I'm not upset," I look around me and notice the doormen listening in. "Can we just talk about this later? Once we get ourselves settled in?"

He sighs but nods in approval, understanding that right now wasn't the best time to talk about everything. Instead of walking away like I thought he was going to do, he leads the way up the red carpet in the center of the walkway. The lights from indoors gleam through the glass double doors just as the doormen open either side of the door, beckoning us to come inside, into the extravagant hotels interior.

With Shawn and Alex behind us, we finally walk into the hotel. The first thing I take note of is the red carpet continuing into the hotel. The carpet's color also matched the wall behind the front desk and the flowers plastered across the red wall behind the recipients head. My eyes dart all around the room, noticing the color everywhere expect the rest of the walls and the ceiling with hints of gold. At least I wasn't being smothered by the color red.

To my surprise, there were hardly any people in line so we were able to check in right away with no problems. As we all walk over to the hotel's elevator, I notice the men with all of our luggage going a different direction. It must have been an employee's- only elevator they were required to use. I brush the matter off quickly.

Everyone stands silent in the red carpeted, steel interior elevator as we wait to approach the floor of destination of the hotel. I tap my foot impatiently; wishing that the elevator could go faster. Honestly, all I wanted to do was get the hell out of here and go to Washington or Canada; wherever it is we're going.

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, the elevator's doors open. Right away, Daniel steps in front of the group leading us to our room seeming like he knew where he was going.

We reach the end of the hall and before us were double doors with a computerized lock where you needed the card to enter the room. Daniel scans the card, and the red light illuminated turns to a green at the same time as I hear the door unlock. Just before Daniel opens the doors, he says, "Welcome to the best room in the entire hotel."

From the moment Daniel opened the door, and right then I knew he wasn't lying. There was no way that any of the other rooms looked as grand like this. The first thing I notice as I walk in is the view from the windows, and the whole Las Vegas strip. My eyes then look around the room before me; connected to the living room was part of the dining area. Both rooms had the same type of white furniture, which contrasted perfectly with the yellowish beige ceiling and walls, and lit the room brightly with all of the natural lighting streaming in.

"Did you buy a house or what?" I ask half-jokingly.

"Nice, huh?" Daniel sounding proud of himself, and he adds, "It's close to a house but there are some differences." He then points to the left of him, "That way should be the 3 beds, that's where Alex, Shawn, and Haley are going to be staying." As if on cue, the trios go investigate their rooms. Daniel's thumb then jerks back to the right behind him, and winks, "One bed in that direction."

I blush and smirk to myself. "Where will you be sleeping then?"

Daniel stifles a laugh and jokes, "I guess I'll be making the couch then. Thanks Lauren."

"You're welcome," I smile like an idiot, and somehow I felt strangely excited. It was probably because of tomorrow; the day Daniel promised me that we would have one day to ourselves without the drama, no interruptions, and no worries. It would be a normal day between Daniel and me.

"I'll be right back," Daniel says as he walks out the double doors. But before he continues walking down the hall, he stops in the doorway, "I almost forgot, there should be a little something for you on our- I mean your bed." With this news shared, he continues down the hall to wherever his destination is.

A surprise? Why would I have something for me? My curiosity gets the better of me, and I pace to the bedroom. When I open the door; my breath comes to a halt for a minute from shock. On the pure white comforter with the beige colored frame that matched the rooms, were two dozen red roses already in their glass vases. In front of the flowers laid a blue velvet square box with a satin white bow tied to the surface of it.

I frown when I make my way over to the bed, and I can't help but wonder why Daniel was being so romantic lately. It wasn't like him; usually he was never the romantic type, why was this time any different?

I shrug, and embrace Daniel's new romantic side while I reach an arm to the blue box and take hold of it. When I bring the gift closer to my sight, I notice a small rectangular piece of stationery paper sticking out from within the box. I pull on it and notice it was blank; until I turn to over and read:

_Lauren, I know I haven't been the best boyfriend lately and I hope our date and this can help make up for it. _

_-Love, Daniel_

Daniel was acting so strangely and confusing lately. One minute, it would seem like things were fine between us and then the next minute, we would have one disagreement and he would act like I did something horrible. Despite that, I knew I loved him and always would but I wanted to help him. Whatever it was that was bothering him, I would find out during our time here, and help him with whatever it was.

I didn't know whether or not I should see what he had given me. From what his methods were lately, I knew he most likely got this by manipulation. But I decide against not seeing the gift to fulfill my curiosity. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling it, I lift the lid of the box, and my jaw drops at the sight of what was in the blue container.

What must have been thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, was lying in my hands. Dangling from the box was a pair of diamond chandelier earrings sparking in the perfectly lit light.

I glance back to the bed and notice the same velvet box except in a deep colored red. I close the box containing the earrings and place it gently onto the night stand near the bed. I notice that the box was slightly smaller than the blue one just before I lift the top.

I wasn't as surprised to find a wrist cuff bracelet with diamonds dangling on every inch of it. This was so like Daniel to buy me things I didn't necessary need just to make me forgive him. Well, it was going to take more than that for me to ease up on him.

Not bothering to try any of my new gifts on, I put the bracelet box on top of the box containing the earrings, and smirk at the sight of the two dozen red roses Daniel had bought me. I appreciated the small gestures like this, not the expensive sparkly ones. All I wanted was Daniel to admit his fault, and to spend time with me and get me to laugh like we used to do. This war has changed everything with us, we only had time for 'work' no time to spend together or enjoy the fact that we were together. Tomorrow was the night I would finally be able to let go of those problems for a temporary amount of time.

Finally, I decide to move one of the vases filled with red roses onto the dresser. Moving swiftly out of the bedroom with the other dozen in hand, I decide to put the roses onto the coffee table which was located in the center of the living; the furniture surrounding it.

As I gently and carefully set down the glass vase onto the coffee tables' marble surface, I hear Daniels voice, making my gaze go from the deep blood red of the roses to just outside the main doors, "This half goes into the main bedroom and the rest of the luggage go to the 3 remaining ones on the right side of the villa." Daniel opens the doors for the bell hoppers, who were carting in a baggage porter with our groups belonging cluttering it.

Daniels gaze sweeps across the room until his eyes settle on me. He glances down next to me, noticing the roses. A smile arises on his face, "I see you noticed your gift. You like it?"

I smile back just before I make my way over to him and up the two steps that separated the living room from the entrance hall. My arms immediately wrap around the back of his neck as I pull my body against his, "The flowers are lovely, thank you."

His hands wonder at my sides. I can already feel the slight frown on his face when he questions out loud, "What about the earrings and bracelet?"

"About those; I love them but it bothers me when you spend so much money. Plus I don't really need something so fancy."

He pulls back to look me in my eyes, "Don't worry, I didn't spend anything." He smiles to himself as if he is proud about mind controlling people to get what he wants.

"That is my point Daniel; I haven't really liked the way you have been getting things lately." I look around me to make sure the hotel employees were out of ear shot just before I whisper, "It bothers me that you take advantage of people like that."

Daniel sighs, probably not wanting to think about it that way but it was the truth. After seconds of thinking the situation over, he informs me, "I promise I will try my best to not mind control people anymore."

I shake my head, "Not good enough. You won't try; you _will_ stop mind controlling innocent people."

He rolls his eyes as he walks away from me and towards the bedroom, "Trying is better than not, isn't it?" Before I give out an exasperated huff, he adds, "You, Shawn, and Haley should probably stay here while Alex and I have a 'talk' with Natalie now."

I frown, "Natalie?"

"The whole reason why we're here," Daniel hints.

It didn't take long for me to figure out who he was referring to; the witch. I didn't know how quickly he found out where she was staying. But yet again, this was Daniel; he knew how to get information. What I truly wanted to know was why he had to only go with Alex and not me. I had to come, this witch, Natalie, could know more about my species than Daniel was guessing about it. "Why can't I come?"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt, besides, witches can get very defensive. One wrong word or move, she'll snap. I guess you can say witches are sensitive people." He emerges out of the bedroom door, with the bell hopper following. Before Daniel continues his sentence, he orders the man, "You're going to forget this conversation. Take your friend and get out of here."

I control the urge to be angry with Daniel but I knew it was a minor thing to erase from his mind so it wasn't as bad; but still, it's the thought that bothered me. I choose to ignore it, "Well, if you're worried about me upsetting her, that isn't going to be a problem. I'm a better people person than you."

Daniel chuckles, "Right. You're not changing my mind so the answer is still a no."

"Seriously Daniel, I need to go. I appreciate the concern for my safety but don't you think I should become more independent? Especially now, more than ever. If I'm going to fight in this war, you have got to stop coddling me. Besides, she could have more information about what I am, just like you said. It's better that I'm the one who receives the information." I cross my arms to show I wasn't going to change my decision and that I wasn't going to back down.

He knows this; Daniel knows I'm right, and that causes him to sigh in defeat. "Fine, but you have to let me do the talking at first."

"Deal."

A smile creeps up on his face as he looks down at me. Finally, he steps down from the upper floor level of the hallway and makes his way to me. Daniel wraps his arms around my waist and brings my body against his, "You are so stubborn."

I couldn't help but smile back, "Keep going, I feel like I'm going to like this. What else am I?"

"You're spoiled," I frown at the word but I let him continue. "You're kind, beautiful, smart, funny, sexy, and compassionate." A playful smile tugs at his lips, "Want me to continue?"

The grin on my face widens, "I think that will be fine; for now anyway." My arms drape around his neck as my face inches closer to his.

"Well, you are out of luck. I ran out of adjectives," Daniel says teasingly.

"Shut up." I lightly smack the back of his head. "Just kiss me already."

Daniel laughs softly against my lips just before his own lips are fully on mine. Daniel's mouth lightly grazes my own as we kiss in what felt like ages. The kiss is soft, playful, and pleasurable at the same time, but somehow, I wanted more than just a kiss. I wanted everything of Daniel before it was too late; this feeling was all too familiar, the feeling I had gotten when I drank his blood except less intense.

I hint in wanting more by gently graze my teeth across his lower lip, nibbling ever so slightly. As I suspected, Daniel takes the hint and begins to trail his tongue casually on my upper lip. I smile at the thought of making out with Daniel but then, our happiness was short lived when a knocking sound comes from the right of us. When we both look over, Alex is there leaning against the doorway between the kitchen and the hallway of the rooms I have yet to investigate.

"We should probably get this over with Daniel before she finds out we're here." Not giving Daniel a chance to reply, Alex rushes out of the door with her vampire abilities helping her.

"She knows where the room is?" I ask.

Daniel looks back to me, "She knows where but she doesn't have the key." He doesn't try to leave my embrace when he says, "We should probably get going."

I pout. "We were making up though."

"I promise we'll be able to make up later." He gives me a small smile as he quickly kisses my forehead. "But for now, we have some business to do." Daniel untangles himself from me and holds out a hand for me to take.

Gladly, I accept his outstretched hand. Before we finally exit the door, I call out to Shawn, "Shawn! We're going after the witch so you have to stay here and watch Haley. Is that alright?"

"Yeah! No problem," I hear Shawn faintly yell back.

Daniel opens the door and gestures to me to leave first. I accept the gesture and drag Daniel along with me down the hall. "So, where is this girl staying in the hotel? Do you know how long she's going to be here?"

"No, not for sure, that is why we have to get to her as soon as possible." We turn down another hall, "From what the hotel recipient told me, she's staying in room 666. Not very subtle I say." Just then, we are in front of the hotels elevator. Daniel presses a button illuminating an arrow pointing upwards, "She better be there for her sake."

I roll my eyes at Daniel's threat. "What are you going to do? Kill her if she doesn't?"

He doesn't reply at first and that makes me turn to him to see if he was serious. "Well, the thought had crossed my mind." Before I can say a word, he adds, "As long as she cooperates, I won't have a reason to."

"You have got to stop killing people just because they don't give you what you want."

Daniel continues looking straight, "If people stopped giving me a reason to, then maybe I wouldn't." He glances over at my slightly irritated expression, "But for you, I'll try."

I smile and balance my weight on the tip of my toes as I peck his cheek with a kiss, "Thank you."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. I giggle at him just as the elevator doors slide open. I abruptly stop as people come filing out of the elevator and going their separate ways. When it was cleared, Daniel lets me step into the elevator first, and then he immediately follows in behind me. I see him press a button just before he returns to my side.

Finally, the elevator doors close and we continue to stand there in silence with strangers. I glance over to the right side of the elevator to see a mother with her young daughter, dressed in what looked to be expensive clothing. The sight of them brings me back to my mother and how she would always look at me the way that mother now was looking at her child; with love, kindness, and a hint of sadness in her eyes. It reminded me of how much I wanted my mother back in my arms, to hold me tight and tell me everything was going to be okay. I needed her so much right now, more than I realized. I just wanted to know if she was alright.

We all stood in silence until the elevator comes to a halt and open its doors at the mother and daughter's destination. They leave us without a word and in a hurry. Daniel and I don't say a word until the elevator continues its way upwards.

"Have you ever thought about having sex on an elevator?" Daniel wonders out loud.

My head slowly turns to him as I feel my face crinkle in confusion. "Did you really just ask me that?" That was the most random thing he had ever said, it almost made me laugh.

"It was just a thought."

"There are cameras you know, unless you want us to be recorded, it's not going to happen."

Daniel's half smile appears, "So that's the only thing stopping you right now, isn't it?"

I can feel my cheeks becoming flushed; I knew I probably looked like a tomato because I was that red right now. "No," I turn my gaze straight ahead of me. "Besides, we're also in a public place so we're not going to let that happen."

"Fine," Daniel says in defeat, "You win."

"And don't you forget it," I announce proudly just as the elevator stops and the doors become ajar. Right away, I stride out of the elevator; reminding myself that we have business to do. "Which way?" I ask Daniel.

Daniel looks bother ways and announces just before he strides off, "This way."

We both walk together side by side, are movements in sync. When we reach the corner of the hallway, we spot Alex waiting by the witch, Natalie's, door. With no humans around, we use our special vampire speed to quickly get down to Alex. "Is she in there?" Daniel questions.

"Not from what I can tell. She isn't answering her door." Alex states, sounding business like, "She either isn't here yet or she knows we're here and just in hiding."

"Shouldn't we just wait awhile?" I ask. "What if this witch is in there waiting for us and she has a trap set?"

Alex and Daniel contemplate this but I know they are just going to brush it off, "I'll go in first and take my chances, I doubt it. We can't wait any longer." Daniel takes out the key from his back pocket and matches it with the scanner. Once it beeps in approval, he slowly opens the door and peeks inside the darkened rooms. Before he enters, he turns to me and orders, "You wait out here while Alex and I scope the place out. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good," he retorts before he slowly creeps inside the hotel room without making a sound. Daniel gestures for Alex to come in and when she does, she leaves the door cracked open. With my hearing, I try to make out another life force in the room, breathing, creaking of the room, anything to know if someone else was in there or not.

But then, I hear the sound of something whooshing in the air at top speed. Before I knew it, the hum stopped and I could hear it pierce through something soft, what must have been, flesh. "Daniel!" I shout and rush into the room to aid him and Alex. When I enter the room, I'm surprised to find bother Alex and Daniel writing on the carpeted floor in pain. I dart my head back and forth and see no one there, only something dark and misty in the air. My brow furrows in confusion.

My attention immediately goes to Daniel and I rush over and kneel down next to him, "What happened? Where did she go?" From the mist, I assumed she must have done a magic trick or something along those lines.

Daniel looks up at me and says through clenched teeth, "Get out of here. Now."

"I'm not leaving you," I respond back with assurance.

"Lauren, you ca-" Daniel stops mid-sentence and his gaze switches from me to the left of me.

I look back and see what he was trying to warn me about, it was her. It was the witch and she was aiming a crossbow right at my heart, ready to shoot.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16_

I slowly rise to feet with my hands leveled with my head while Natalie has the crossbow follow my every move. "Natalie, you don't need to do this. We're only here to talk."

"You're werewolves; of course I need to do this. Nothing good comes out of you." She still points her crossbow at me, almost ready to fire a bolt into my heart. Her amber colored eyes pierce right into mine, and deep inside I see a slither of fear.

I open my mouth to speak but Daniel's voice prevents me to. "Technically," he grunts, "She's not a werewolf."

"There's no need for your remarks right now Daniel," I harshly whisper back to him.

Natalie frowns at this news. "If you're not a werewolf, what are you? Are you a human?"

"Um, I'm actually both a vampire and a werewolf; a hybrid." I take a slow step forward away from Daniel and towards Natalie. "Partially, it's the reason why we're here; we were hoping you had information about my ...species." I take another step, "Please, just put down the weapon so we can have a nice civil chat."

She immediately shakes her head. "You're either here to kill me or you're here to take me to that awful werewolf. Well, I got news for you; I'm _not_ going to help him anymore." I try to take another step forward, but am forced back due to the place she was aiming her crossbow. "Stay back! Or I'll kill your friends, and make you watch them die."

I gulp, from the look in her eyes; it wasn't hard to tell that she was serious. My eyebrows furrow together when I realize who she was talking about before she threatened me, "Werewolf? What werewolf? Are you talking about Adam?" I try to change the subject in hopes that it will distract her long enough to let her guard down. Then I would be able to disarm her if I had to.

"Yes, that monster you call Adam. I don't want to work for him anymore." Natalie begins to realize that I have no idea what was going on. "You don't know about any of this do you?"

I shake my head. "Yes and no, I know about the war and how Adam plans on destroying the vampire race but I don't know anything beyond that. I'm not working for him, I swear. I want him dead just as much as you do, trust me."

"What makes you think I'm able to trust you?"

"Because I'm destined to end this war and I can't do that without your help. You have my word that I'm not going to kill you; neither are my friends. We just want to talk… please," I plead, praying that she would believe my story. It was the truth; I had no reason to lie, not when there is so much at stake right now.

She reads my face, looking at my expression carefully. Finally, the gaze in her eyes softens and she lowers her arms with the crossbow still in hand. "You have 5 minutes to explain yourself to me."

A relieved sigh escapes my lips, "Thank you."

"Your time starts now," Natalie replies back coldly.

I didn't know where to start so I decided to just tell her the important things she really wants to hear: how Adam was really my father and that everyone believed I was the one to rule the Fenris clan and end the vampire race. I go on to explain that I was merely a decoy for anyone wanting to end the line, in hopes of winning the war, that Adam had another daughter, shortly after he faked his death when I was a little girl, who was the true heir. I tell her about the amulet and how we plan on finding it to destroy it and how we also planned to assassinate the pack.

By the time I finish explaining my case, I realize that I may have said too much. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to confess our plan to a witch _working_ for Adam, the man we plan on taking down. But she had said she wasn't going to work for him anymore and that he hated him, maybe she would be willing to help.

"That's quite a story." She sashays over to the kitchen and gently places her weapon onto the wooden material. "But how did you know where to find me?"

I look back to Daniel, not knowing the exact answer to that question. Daniel finally gets the strength to pull out the bolts out of his legs and side. He winces as he takes out the last one out of his side, and throws down the bloodied bolt onto the white carpeted floor. "I have my ways," he grumbles.

"Tell me or I'll end up," Natalie growls towards Daniel.

Daniel glares at the witch and doesn't say anything at first but when she moves slightly he speaks up, "A vampire friend of mine who's from around here."

"Give me a name and tell me how he knew where I was."

He looks away from her for a second and when he looks back he says gravely, "Mark Grayson, he knew how to find you because we had been spying on you for a couple of months now. He had a hunch that you were working for Adam and I guess he was right." Daniel tries to rise to his feet but ends up stumbling, holding his side where the bolt penetrated him. I rush over to him and help while Alex was finally starting to regain her strength.

"I guess so," Natalie agrees. "So let me get this straight, you came all this way because you want me to help you defeat Adam?"

"More or less," I mumble while I walk Daniel over to the dining table that was between the living room and kitchen area. Once I had Daniel settled in one of the chairs surrounding the round table, I look over to Natalie and add, "Helping us would probably make our job easier too, plus, no more Adam."

Natalie nods at my comment, "I'm in."

I smile at her confirmation, a sense of hope filling inside of me, Natalie would be sure to have an advanced prototype we would be able to use on the Fenris Pack, maybe even stronger than what Natalie was conjuring up for them. "Great, when do we start?"

"Now, I've waited a long time for an opportunity to arise like this, I'm not letting it go." Natalie moves straight towards the hall closet and digs around the top shelf of it until she finds what she was looking for. She pulls out an antique looking brown book with strange red writing all over the cover. "Take a seat," Natalie orders.

"I'm going to go get some… blood," Alex informs us all before exiting the room.

I nod just before I pull out a chair next to Daniel and take a seat. "Are you going to be okay?" I ask Daniel, he looked weak and drained. "I can go steal some blood bags from the hospital down the street if you want. I would offer some of my own but…" I drift off.

Daniel smiles and shakes his head. "No, I'll be fine. It'll just take awhile longer for me to heal that's all."

Natalie walks over to the table while going through the pages of her book until she finds the page she was looking for just as she sits. "I found a spell that might help in this situation." She reads off what the spell is able to do, "This spell can take away ones strength and/or special abilities for a limited amount of time."

"How long?" Daniel asks.

"It depends on the person you use it on. Assuming you'll use this spell on Adam, I would say about a minute," Natalie says with disappointment in her voice.

Daniel frowns. "A minute?! That's hardly an option, it would be completely pointless."

Natalie flips through the pages some more, "I'll see what else I can find. But if I can't find anything else, you're probably going to be stuck with this spell. There's nothing I can do about that."Her gaze lowers back down to her book.

My heads turns towards Daniel. There was something different about the way he looked, whether it was from his state or not, I didn't like it. He seemed that he was angry and impatient, and usually when that happened, someone got hurt. "It's going to be okay Daniel," I say reassuringly, hoping he would calm down.

"Sure," he says simply under his breath.

I frown slightly at Daniel's new attitude but shrug it off quickly when Natalie exclaims. "I found the perfect spell."

"But…" Daniel drifts off. I look over at him confused; when he sees my expression he adds, "There's a catch, there's always a catch."

Natalie rolls her eyes and sighs, "Maybe there is a slight catch." She reads the inscription, "Whoever activates this spell will open a portal straight to hell, taking in whatever supernatural creature that is near." She looks up and her eyes go back and forth to Daniel and I. "They must be in the open with nowhere to hide or a place to shelter their selves from the pull of hell. As for Adam, you might have to take him down after you trigger the spell; he might be too powerful and could resist hell."

My eyebrows push together in a frown. Natalie said whatever supernatural creature that is near, that would mean we would all be sucked into hell; everyone in the clan, Daniel, Alex, Shawn, and me. I would have been fine with this spell if it only took out everyone within the Fenris clan but Daniel and Shawn included? I couldn't do that; I would not allow them to die. I shake my head at the thought, "It's not an option."

"Yes, it might be," Daniel argues. He turns to Natalie, "How can the spell be activated?"

"You must burn a special powder that I can only create. I have to create the spell with certain ingredients and then I can link the spell to that," Natalie explains.

Daniel smiles, "That's perfect then. Let's say if I mix the powder in a type of explosive, will it still work?"

She nods, "It should since you're still burning it. But I have to warn you that the portal is about a mile in radius and is only open for a time of 5-10 minutes, and that is my estimation."

Daniel faces me, with his expression completely different than before; hope in his eyes. "Do you see Lauren? I can put the powder in dynamite or any other explosive and put a timer on it so we can have a chance to escape."

I shake my head, "That's too risky Daniel, what if it malfunctions and explodes earlier than expected or someone discoveries it and disarms it? I'm not going to take that chance Daniel."

Daniel shakes his head slightly in protest, his eyes switch from me to Natalie but when they come back to me, something had changed; there was now annoyance and frustration in his expression. "It won't, I'll be sure of it. If this is way to kill Adam _and_ come out of it alive, I'm willing to do it."

"Daniel, your life is more important to me than Adam's and if there is a risk of something going wrong, I'm not doing it."

"I said there will be no chance of the explosives screwing up and I meant it. This is the best way of killing Adam and his followers for good, and making sure they suffer for it. Hell, I'll stay in the radius and make sure that spell activates while you get out of there. We're doing this, end of discussion." He then rises to his feet and strides out of the hotel room without a single word.

My jaw drops open at his words; he was willing to kill himself in order to kill the Fenris', he didn't even care about what his life. Immediately, I chase after him. I catch him in the middle of the hall speeding off towards the elevator. Using my strength, I'm able to step in front of him and push him against the wall in anger and frustration. "What the hell is your problem? Why are you willing to risk your life just to kill Adam?"

He looks me up and down before saying, "Because I want him dead… for good."

"We all do! But this isn't the way to do it." I sigh as I look away and put my palm on my forehead, thinking what I should say. "I want to be the one to kill Adam, Daniel. I have to, I'm the strongest out of everyone and I can use the amulet once we retrieve it. I don't necessarily have to die to use the power within it."

Daniel's eyes widen slightly before he yells, "In order to do that you have to harvest all your energy and by the time you defeat him it'll all be gone, to the point of your death!"

"I know that, you left me with no other choice. I'm not letting you die for something I'm supposed to fix."

"And I'm not letting you die for something you _think_ you're supposed to fix. You're not going near Adam with that amulet." He pushes himself off the wall and steps in front of me, "In fact, I'm not letting you near him _at all_."

I glare into his eyes, "You can't tell me what to do! I'm doing this, please respect my decision." I turn to leave but Daniel grips my arm hard and pulls me back. "Let me go," I say with venom.

"No," Daniel says firmly.

We stand there, staring into each other's eyes, glaring. It wasn't until after minutes of glaring that Daniel expression slowly softens and his eyes turn to sadness and worry. He cups a hand on the side of my face and strokes his thumb along my cheek. "I can't lose you," he practically whispers.

My expression softens as I force a small smile. "You won't. You'll have me even after death, I promise."

He shakes his head slowly, "I want you alive, what would have been the point in loving you when you're throwing it away for Adam? At least I've lived; dead or not, you haven't lived at all."

"You think I don't feel the same way? That if you die for me, what would be the point in loving you. If anything I'll feel guilty, responsible for your death." My voice breaks at the word death, that's when the tears well up in my eyes. "I don't want you to die, better me than you Daniel. I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have you in it." I crash myself into his chest and arms, crying.

His arms hold me firmly to his body. "I don't want to either, trust me. I've been looking for you for 200 years, now that I've found you; I'm not letting you go so easily." He rubs circles into my back, trying to soothe me and calm me down. "How about we both stay alive? No suicide missions. We're both coming out of this alive, and we're going to save your mom and Rachel. We'll be okay." Daniel continues rubbing my back soothingly, and it was working. "I'm sorry for yelling, and I'm sorry for being the worst boyfriend in history."

I laugh as I pull back slightly to look up at him, "I'm sorry too; I shouldn't have been so… opinionated and overbearing. I guess you're not the worst boyfriend; you're willing to die for me after all, I don't think too many people are willing to do that so thank you." On my tip toes, I reach my lips to his for a split second. "You know I love you right?"

"You remind me every day," Daniel smirks and kisses my forehead. "I love you too." Before I can move, Daniel untangles himself from me, takes my hand, and leads us back to Natalie's hotel room.

When we walk in, Natalie looks up from her book to us and puts down a jar full of a brown liquid next to a fairly large bowl. "I see you two made up. That was relatively quick."

"We just came to a compromise," I reply nonchalantly. "Now, do you want us to do anything? Anything we need to get you?"

"No," Natalie continues to attend her mixture. "This should be it, thank you."

"How long will it take to complete this spell?" Daniel wonders out loud.

"About a day, maybe a day and a half; it's a powerful spell so it will take time to complete."

Daniel nods in understanding. That was when I let go of his hand to move towards Natalie, "I have a few questions for you if you don't mind answering." She nods for me to continue, "What were you doing for Adam before and why?"

Natalie looks up at me through her dark eyelashes and contemplates an answer. She sighs, "Adam… he has his way of getting things he wants… he threatened to kill my family if I didn't create spells for his minions. Adam made me create new weapons that were able to kill a vampire in seconds."

I share a concerned look with Daniel, "What kind of weapons?" If these weapons were fatal to vampires, there was no way Daniel and Alex would be able to get past all the werewolves; which meant that Shawn and I were going to be on our own.

"Not weapons as in an item, like guns." She warns. "Weapons as in a new type of werewolf."


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17_

"What?! A new werewolf?" Daniel exclaims. He says sarcastically, "What do you mean a new werewolf? Werewolves that actually don't shed? That's the only way they can get better in my book." He becomes serious again, "How the hell can you make a new werewolf?"

"Spells…" She drifts off. "They're able to take form during the day, not only night like all werewolves. And I only created them because Adam threatened me, I had no other choice."

"When Adam asks you do something you say no!" Daniel shouts, "Tell me that's all you did to the new breed of werewolves. _Please _tell me the only thing you did was make them have the ability to change 24/7." He glares at Natalie with such hate and loathing, that I become scared for her.

"Well…" Natalie drifts off. "I may have given them the strength of a vampire."

Daniel is silent. I watch for any reaction but all he does is stand there glaring at Natalie. And then suddenly, leaps towards Natalie and tackles her to the wall, a hand grasping tightly around her throat, "You did what?! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you that blind that you can't see right from wrong anymore? Thanks to you, we have no chance in winning this war! How the hell do you expect us to-?"

"Daniel!" I shout, silencing him. I run over and try pushing him off but he wouldn't budge. I then rip his hand off of Natalie's throat and throw him so easily that it felt like nothing. His body slams against the closet, the wooden door splints and breaks at the weight of Daniel. I take in a deep breath before turning to Haley. "Are you alright?" She nods with a hand around her throat as she regains her breathing.

"What's the matter with you?!" I yell to Daniel, "I don't think you realize how bad you've gotten with your anger!" He doesn't say anything; all he does is staring at me. "She had to do it, okay? Her family was on the line, I understand why she did what she did." I sigh, "Besides, what's done is done."

"Lauren," he starts off, "We have no chance in hell to win now, thanks to her new creations! So thank you, Natalie, for making this so much easier." Daniel snarls, "The only advantage we had was our strength, the spell too, but now it's not so much an advantage anymore now is it?"

"How is it still not an advantage?" I question, slightly confused. "We still have the spell and who cares if these new werewolves have vampire strength; all we really need is that spell and they'll be gone."

Daniel shakes his head, "There's still a chance with the spell, yes. But how do you expect us to get past all of them to get to Adam? It's impossible with that much strength behind enemy lines!" He glances over to Natalie, "You said it yourself; the spell might not work. I'll be damned if it doesn't and Adam is still alive."

"Hey," I try calming him down by rubbing my hands down his back. "We'll find another way if the spell doesn't work, we always do. It's alright Daniel."

"No Lauren, it's not alright," He says coldly stepping away from my touch.

"Why not?" I demand to know. "I'm probably more powerful than Adam anyways plus if I used the necklace's energy, it would be impossible for Adam to survive. We'll be doing it together anyways; there's no way Adam will win."

He sighs, sounding aggravated. "I know, but if he does end up surviving, he will not hesitate to kill you. He'll do whatever it takes, even if that means killing his own daughter. And I'm not going to let that happen."

"Daniel," I say more gently, "Trust me, if I'm confident about winning this war then you should be too. Besides, Natalie wants Adam dead just as much as us, she'll be sure to make it work. We'll do it together and we _will_ get out of this alive, I promised you."

A frown is still present on his face just before he softens it slightly after what seemed like ages. "Okay," he nods slightly, "I trust you. But one other thing, how do we know you're more powerful than him? Just because you're a hybrid doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't have just as much strength as you do." He looks over to Natalie, who is standing in the same spot Daniel threw her against the wall, "Do you know anything about her kind?"

She shakes her head, "No, there hasn't been anything like her ever; that I know of. I know that others had attempted to create a half vampire, half werewolf breed but were unsuccessful." She thinks of something, "Although, I could do a reader spell that will let me be able to dig through your 'charka' or 'aura'. Basically, I can just read your body and it will tell me what weakens you, strengths, basically anything you want to know. Do you want to do it?"

I hesitate. I had to be sure this spell was safe. "Is the spell going to affect me in anyway?"

She shakes her head. "It's completely harmless."

I immediately reply, "Yeah, let's do it." Whatever it was I had to do to be reassured that we would win this war, I had to do it. Countless vampires and some werewolves' lives depended on me winning this war, and I wasn't going to give up on them without a fight.

Natalie doesn't say a word as she pulls out another book with strange writing on it, and pulls out ingredients, I'm assuming, to create her spell. I look to Daniel and catch him gazing over at me in a strange way I haven't seen before. "What?" I ask quietly, curious to why he was looking at me differently.

"It's nothing," he says in a hushed tone, not wanting Natalie to hear, "You're just… a stronger person than you ever were before. Not to mention beautiful." He smiles. "I'm proud of you; considering what you've gone through, you've come a long way."

I blush, smiling softly to Daniel. I had not realized that about myself. Maybe it was because now, I was able to defend myself. I wasn't that helpless human with issues, I was a new woman, and I liked this new me despite everything I've done. "Thank you," I whisper, meaning it.

Daniel opens his mouth to speak but he is interrupted at the sound of Natalie beckoning us to come over. "The spell is done, sit."

We take our seats from before, next to each holding hands. "Now," Natalie starts, "Give me your hand." I reach my left hand out to Natalie, "This may sting a little but don't worry, it's harmless." Without any warning, she pulls out a needle and slams it down in the center of my palm. I howl out in pain but before I get a chance to yell at Natalie, my hand becomes tingly, and the blood that is gushing out of my wound seeps into my skin and heals instantly, a little too fast even for a vampire or a werewolf. That is when the place where the needle had been glows a pale yellow color just below the skin.

Just as I was about to ask what was going on, Natalie answers for me, "Think of it as a gateway to your Qi." She then places her palm on top of mine, inhales, and closes her eyes. "Something specific you want to know?"

"I want to know why my body kept rejecting blood before, and why I need to drink vampire blood. Find anything about me that can be useful towards defeating Adam." She nods in understanding and searches me for the information.

After a minute of silence, she finally says, "It makes sense to why you need both vampire and human blood. Since you're part werewolf, a fraction of you is still alive, it's why your need for human blood may be stronger than a regular vampires. You need the human blood to keep the vampire in you satisfied. But, your werewolf side is battling the vampire side of you, so, the only way to keep them equal is to have a regular diet of vampire blood. If you stop drinking that, your vampire side will fail. Since your vampire side is the only reason to why you're still 'alive', she'll die."

I nod, understanding what she was saying. Even my body was fighting, as if that was what I needed. I would be sure to drink Daniel's blood, and human blood regularly to be sure my vampirism doesn't die. But there was one thing I was confused on, "How come the human blood isn't able to keep up the strength of my vampire side?"

"Because the werewolf in you feeds off of that too, so it doesn't leave the vampire part with much strength. Only the vampire blood will give it enough to fight off the rivalry between the two sides."

I nod. "Did you find anything else?" Daniel asks before I could.

She shakes her head, "Not right now. I'll try looking into it more." Her eyes close again and gently caress the pale glow in my palm. I look over to Daniel to ask what he was thinking, but, when I see him watching my hand intently, I don't bother to ask.

What seemed like ages, Natalie opens her eyes and stares at me. Daniel and I wait for anything she had to say in silence. But, she just moves her head back and forth, "I can't find anything else, I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow I can examine it more."

"It's okay," I assure Natalie, "I don't want you to use up all your magic on me."

"It's not a problem, I promise you. A witch doesn't have a limit of power unless you don't have a spell book or ingredients to make the spell. We can try again tomorrow." Natalie softly, "If you'll excuse me, I have a huge spell to whip up. Come by tomorrow to pick up the spell and then we'll try again searching your Qi."

"Sounds good," Daniel interjects. "We should probably get going anyway Lauren." With our hands still together, he pulls me up and guides me to the doorway.

"Before you leave," I turn to the sound of her voice and wait for her to continue. "There's something I don't understand," she looks me in the eye when she asks, "If you're a descendant of Adam, wouldn't you want to honor your father and help him? The heir or not, I'm sure you want to make him proud, believe in his beliefs. It would be easier for you to go with your father instead of against him, so, why aren't you siding with your kind, what you thought you were destined for? If you didn't have connections to vampires, what would you do?"

I continue looking at Natalie, searching for the best answer I could give. "Sometimes I think about it, that it would be easier. I think about talking to him and to try to make things work out, but, something inside me tells me no. I don't know if it's because he abandoned me when I was younger or the fact that he would be a different person. Whatever it is, I'm glad it's there because I would never be able to work for him and to be his perfect daughter like he wants Haley to be. Despite the fact that he's planning to destroy my loved ones, it's not right to wipe out an entire race because they are rivals. In fact, it's not right to take out any race for any reason, it's not right; and it upsets the balance of things." I pause, "There's my answer, and we'll see you tomorrow."

I release Daniel's hand to grab his arm and drag him out the rest of the way out the door. As we walk down the hallway, Daniel mutters, "Nice answer by the way."

"Thank you. I was being serious you know. It isn't right and it needs to be stopped." I say.

Daniel smiles reassuringly, "Don't worry, we'll make it right." He swallows and looks away from me just as we come to a halt in front of the elevator, clearly thinking of something. He reaches a hand in his back pocket and pulls out a wallet. My brow furrows when he pulls out a credit card and hands it to me, "It's for you and Haley to go shopping. I figured you wanted to have some bonding time with her."

I frown, "Shopping for what?"

"For our date tonight of course," Daniel says smirking.

* * *

It wasn't until an hour and a half later when Haley and I return to the villa from our shopping trip in the Wynn stores located on the other side of the hotel. The trip would have been longer if we had stopped at the abundant jewelry stores like Haley had wanted to. I hated shopping just as much as Daniel did so of course I said no. Although, I was pleasantly surprised by how much we had bonded over shopping for an outfit I could have worn for my date with Daniel tonight. At first I wasn't open to the idea of enjoying myself, but, as our search progressed, I found myself getting to know Haley even more than before. She had told me all about her friends back home, and how she had a crush with a boy at school too. It made me smile that she was able to tell me these things so willingly, which meant she had a connection with me like I had with her, but, the more Haley confessed all her secrets to me, the more that I felt guilty for holding back my own. All I needed was a right opportunity to tell her the truth; that she was my sister and that I was the one responsible for her mother's death.

I close the door behind us with my full hands for I had a bag in each hand. "So, do you want to help me get ready?" I ask Haley, who was nibbling on her candy bar I had bought for her after our time together in stores.

Her face lights up at my question. "Really?!"

I smile. "Of course."

"What would I do though?" She asks with her face down in disappointment, "I don't know how to do make up."

"You can do my hair." I put down the bags in the bathroom's entrance and move over to Haley, kneeling down beside her on the couch. "Tell you what," I suggest, "you can do any hairstyle you want on me and I'll make sure we go shopping for you. You'll be able to get anything want. How's that?"

Haley's face brightens up again at the thought of shopping, something that I would soon regret; but it wouldn't matter as long as it made her happy. "Okay! When can I do your hair?"

"Just as soon as I get dressed; I'll be right back Haley." I rise off of the couch and enter the bathroom's marble interior. Just before I shut the door, I glance around the room and notice the amount of detail put into the bathroom. The marbled counter tops, floors, and the marbled wall just above the bathtub with mirrors covering the top half of the wall. They all reflected the lighting perfectly and brightened the room's beige walls.

With the door gently and quietly shut behind me, I take hold of the bags from the Alexander McQueen store and place them on top of the counter against the mirror that almost covered the rest of the wall. One by one, I take out the articles of clothing and accessories.

When Daniel gave me his credit card, I was a little hesitant about using it but as Haley and I were shopping I realized that it could have been my little way to get revenge on him for mind controlling people. Total, the bill was only about $8,000; he would thank me later for that.

The first thing I pull out is my dress. The fuchsia colored dress had a draped stretch halter neck with a cross-over draping detail on the front. The fabric had clung to my curves so perfectly that it made me look slimmer than I really was and the way the fabric had draped across my waist and hips, it helped me in that department even more. I hang the dress up on the back of the door.

Next, I slide out the box of heels that matched the dress perfectly. The black platform boot had a large, grosgrain, black ribbon bow at the heel which made it look irregular but fashionable.

After I set the boots on the far side of the counter, the makeup kit filled with eye shadow palettes, mascara, eyeliner, and other tools comes out of the bag also. I hardly ever wore make up so I had no purpose in bringing it along with me on the trip, I only bought the make up for this occasion.

By the time I have everything set out, I had almost forgotten I purchased lingerie; a strapless white satin garter slip with black stockings that matched the accents of lace on the bottom and top of the slip. I figured if Daniel behaved well on our date tonight, he would be rewarded since both of us had been going through a 'dry spell' lately due to events. It would be nice to finally unwind tonight with Daniel and with no interruptions.

I decide to try on the outfit before I put on my dress. When I toss off my shirt, bra, and jeans to the side, I notice the reflection of the scar on my abdomen.

The scar instantly reminds me of how far I have come. From the moment I met Daniel I knew my life would end up changing, for better or for worse, I didn't know at the time. But now I knew it was definitely for the better. Despite dating a vampire who brought along the trouble that was sure to find me anyway, I wouldn't change anything about Daniel or anything I've been through with him. Whatever Daniel had and will go through, we always have our love to get us through anything. That was my strength.

I squirm to pull on the lingerie and when I finally get everything smoothed out and see myself in the mirror, I was glad I had bought it in the first place. The satin clung to every curve of my body; enhancing the figure of my body, particularly my bottom and bust area. The black stockings balanced the white and black eventually. I knew Daniel would not be able to resist me with this on.

Just then, I hear the front doors of the villa open and footsteps strolling in. It wasn't until I heard them speak when I knew who it was. "Where's Lauren?" Daniel asks Haley.

"Oh, she's in the bathroom getting ready." I hear his steps coming closer to the bathroom door but then they stop when Haley calls out, "Don't! You can't see her until she's ready. She told me so."

I could practically hear Daniel's eyes roll in. "Of course." Daniel calls out to me, "Lauren, you have about 45 minutes. Let's hope that's enough."

"It will be!" I call back, while I put both of my feet into the dress and pull it up to my waist and stretch the halter around my neck. The snuggly fit of the halter against my neck warms me. "Haley, can you come in here please?"

Before she enters the room I pull out the vanity bench hidden underneath the bathroom counter and take my place. Haley skips in with a gleeful expression across her face and immediately grabs the hairbrush off of the marble surface where other hairstyling tools are also placed. "What hairstyle should I do?"

I contemplate about what would be easier for her yet match my outfit. Finally, I decided on a hairstyle, "How about a couple of braids? Yeah, have two braids from the front, near my face, and tie them together at the back and put the rest of my hair up in a bun. Sound good?"

She grins and nods her head erratically, "You are going to look so pretty! Well, you already do but prettier!"

I smile warmly to her, "You're much prettier, trust me. You must get it from… your mother." I could barely say it because I was the monster responsible for her death even though see didn't know that yet. I would tell her in due time. But there was one thing I would be able to confess to her now, "Or our dad."

She stops stroking my hair a couple seconds after I utter my confession. "What, our dad? Does- does that mean we're..?" she trails off.

I nod with a smile, "Yes, you're my sister." I look in her face to see any kind of reaction but she hadn't changed her expression, "I know this may take some time to sink in but you have to know-"

Haley's arms tightly grasp around my shoulders, "I have a sister." She mutters to herself, "I've always wanted a sister!"

My smile widens as I pull her into my arms. I know we haven't known either other for long but I knew I loved her. She was my sister by blood, which wouldn't necessarily mean anything to other people but it meant something to me. I had an unexplainable connection with her, a bond that no one would understand. "I've always wanted a sister too," I murmur against the top of her head as a single tear falls from my cheek.

I am the one to pull away from her. I look at her face when I tell her, "I'm not fully your sister though because we have different moms. If it's alright with you, I want you to meet her soon."

Haley nods reluctantly, "Yeah! I want to meet my second mom!"

"Okay, it'll be soon, probably in a few days even," I glance at my hair in the mirror. "Ask me anything while you do my hair about my mom or I and I'll answer. Okay?"

She nods again and right away starts to brush the small tangles out of my hair, "What's your mom's name?"

"Joyce," I reply as I grab the eye shadow palette and select the three colors I would be using for my makeup. I pick out a rich chocolate brown color, a mid shade of gold and a nice pale pink color to bring it all together. Right away, I start applying the makeup, grabbing the brush and moving it onto the pink palette to gather some of the powder. I rub it on my entire eye to use as a base color.

"I like that name. What's your mom like?" Haley puts down the brush and start to braid the front of my scalp like I told her I wanted it done. I was surprised by how quick she was moving it was as if she had been doing hair all her life.

"Well," I start as I move the brush to my other eye, "She's kind, and she always puts herself before anyone. She's also smart, funny, an excellent cook even though she hardly does it. And when she loves, it's real." I pause and realize what I had just said, and it was true; when my mom loved it was real. I realized that I was exactly like her, in every aspect, minus the looks. After everything my mother and I have gone through together, I was still just like her, and this realization makes me miss her more and more with each passing minute.

"She sounds just like my mom! Maybe they can become best friends like you and me," Haley suggests.

It takes everything in me not to cry. My guilt and realization that I was the one who murdered her mother was finally settling in. I continue applying each eye shadow until it is all blended in and looking balanced anything I could do to not reply right away to Haley. "Maybe," is the only word I can manage to speak.

The rest of the time we stay silent mostly because of me, I had refused to utter more than one word to her because I was so scared I would break down in front of her. By the time I finish the eyeliner part of my makeup, Haley is done with my hair.

I move my head in every which way to get a good look all around, "Haley, I love it! You did such a great job!" I pull her into my arms, into a big hug, "Thank you so much."

"Do you mean it? It doesn't look bad?"

"No, no, it's exactly the way I imagined it. Thank you." I pull back Haley for a minute to finish my make up by applying mascara to my already long thick looking eyelashes. When I'm done, I place everything back to its original place and rise out of the cushioned bench. "Well," I say as I twirl once for her, "How do I look?"

Haley's smile widens at the sight of the finished product. She crashed into me, with her head against my stomach, "You are very beautiful, Daniel will be kissing you all night."

I laugh, "Thank you." I was about to suggest we leave the bathroom until I remembered the gifts Daniel had given me earlier in the day, "Haley, could you do me a favor and get me two jewelry boxes in my bedroom? I forgot-"

"Sure!" She bolts out of the room before I could finish my sentence.

I stand and wait until Haley came back with the jewelry. That's when I begin to get nervous. What if Daniel didn't enjoy himself during our date? Or if something went wrong? It was our first real date where he took me out to eat and dancing, and what made matters worse was I was experiencing this as an undead creature.

The sound of the door opening and closing takes me out of my thoughts. I turn to see Haley with both boxes in hand, "Here you go."

"Thanks Haley," I thank her, "Close your eyes and wait till I tell you to open them." I wanted her to be surprised by the lavished gifts Daniel had gotten me and I didn't want her to see the outfit completed right before her eyes.

Her eyes immediately close tightly. That was my cue to slip on my bracelet and earrings with my speed.

"You can open your eyes now."

After a moment of blinking, her jaw drops. "You look so perfect and beautiful and amazing! Those look so pretty on you!"

"Thank you," I say smiling. "We should probably get out there before Daniel throws a fit." I grab the silver crystal imbedded hand bag I had bought also, and am about to open the door to step out but Haley stops me.

"Don't go. I have to go first and present you like people do with princesses."

I chuckle; her persistence to make my night perfect was adorable and sweet. Before I tell her to go ahead, she's out the door and announce, "Presenting my perfect sister, who looks very gorgeous and lovely, Lauren!"

I take in a deep breath before my foot steps out of the marbled bathroom to the carpeted surface of the hallway. When I finally am able to see Daniel, I can't stop looking at him. He had also dressed up for this occasion, in a black suit with a matching tie. The jacket of his suit had framed his body excellently; it was as if he had gotten the suit tailored to him. He looked so handsome.

Daniel must have thought I also looked decent because when his eyes settle on me; he gapes at me without a word, speechless.

He stares a little too long to make me feel like something wasn't right. Maybe I had a stain on the dress or forgot to take off the tag. "Is there something on me? Did I forget to take the tags off?" I wonder out loud while looking down at my dress, becoming worried.

"No, no," Daniel says, snapping out of his trance. "It's just that… that you look absolutely beautiful."

My face quickly becomes red with warmth. Daniel had no idea how badly he effected me, he could utter one word and I would become flustered and my heart beat; even though my heart wasn't able to beat much.

Daniel walks over to me and offers his arm, "We should probably get going; I don't want to lose our reservation for the best seats in the house."

I smile up at him as I fold in my arm around his, "Alright." I turn my head to Haley, "Alex should be back here in about 20 minutes, so, promise me that you'll be in here and behaving until she gets back."

She nods, "Gotcha, I promise. But I'm hungry."

"Oh," Daniel remembers something and moves away from me to grab a paper off of the sofa table that was against the wall, between the way to our bedroom and the living room. "Here," he hands her the paper, "The number is on the bottom of the page. Order anything you want and tell them to put it on the bill for Westfall."

"Thanks Daniel!" She smiles up at him just before her eyes scan the menu.

I stride over; being careful I make my way down the steps. "Don't answer the door unless it's Daniel and I, or Alex or Shawn. I think you should probably hold off on ordering anything until Alex comes by to watch you." I hold out my arms and smile. "Thank you so much for helping me tonight, come on, and give your big sister a hug."

She grins and sets the piece of parchment down on the couch just before she runs up to me and squeezes my waist tight with her thin arms.

Our hug only lasted about a couple of seconds, even though it seemed much longer and meaningful than that. I embraced this new found love for my sister, we met only 2 days ago and I already had an unbreakable connection with her. But, I knew that wasn't going to last long; I had to tell her about her mother before we would go our separate ways for the battle.

I straighten up and smile down to Haley before I turn to retrieve my handbag from the sofa table, "So, we'll be back in a couple hours, and behave for Alex and Shawn. Okay?"

"Yes, have fun! Bye." She shouts to Daniel and me as we exit through the doors.

I inhale deeply and exhale, standing almost against the door. Daniel offers his arm again and I accept it quickly, in a rush to leave. As Daniel and I walk down the hallway and towards the elevators with our arms intertwined, Daniel asks, "You told her about the relation between you two? I'm surprised."

I sigh as I feel myself becoming increasingly nervous, "Yeah, well, better to give her the good news first than the bad news right?"

"I guess," he agrees with me but then ads, "How do you plan on telling her the bad news?"

I shake my head slightly, "I don't know…" I drift off for a second but I manage to regain my voice again, "What do you expect me to say? 'Hey Haley, I murdered your mother in cold blood without any hesitation whatsoever.'" I roll my eyes at the thought. "Not to mention Natalie; who knows if she'll have that spell done in time or if she's going to betray us in anyway. What if-"

"Stop." Daniel stops us in the middle of the hallway, "Look at me." When I refuse to do so, he grasps my chin between his thumb and index, and tilts it upwards, forcing me to look up at him. "Don't worry about Haley or that witch, or anything else that deals with the war. Focus on tonight and tonight only; no exceptions. On that note," He releases my chin, steps back to his place beside me, and offers his arm once again, "Let's go."


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter 18_

When we enter the restaurant, I am shocked to see how classy the place really was. From the soft jazz playing in the background, to the well furbished furniture with rich snobby looking people filling each seat, the restaurant was elegant. I was relieved to know I didn't dress as extravagant as I worried before, in fact, I felt a little underdressed compared to other ladies dining so finely. Some had fur coats and others had dresses that looked like they were covered top to bottom.

"This way," the host walks ahead of us, and leads us to our table. Daniel and I walk together in silence as we weave through the aisles of tables until we come to a table that seemed further away from the others, secluded. The table was near the corner of the room, but not too far from the dance floor that was on the right of the table.

The host pulls out my chair as I make my way to do the same. "Thank you," I mutter before sitting down on the cushioned wooden chair. I forgot that was not proper etiquette for a place this fancy.

"Your waiter should be here any minute, ready to take your order, in the mean time, what would you like to drink?"

"A bottle of your best red wine will do." Daniel answers for the both of us with an eyebrow quirked.

"Right away sir," the host scurries off to the bar before I could blink.

I turn my attention to Daniel, a little agitated, "What did you do? Did you use your mind control on him?"

Daniel frowns, "No." He looks back towards the host and then back to me, "I guess I intimidate him. I _am_ a pretty big deal after all."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I don't mean to brag but I mean a lot to this hotel," he gestures around the whole room.

I frown, confused by what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

Just when he was about to answer my question, the host rushes over with a wine bottle and two wine glasses in hand. "We have a wine that dates back to the late 1800's sir." He holds out the bottle for Daniel to exam.

When Daniel is finished looking at it, he leans back against the chair and nods. "Excellent."

The host lays the glasses in front of our plates and starts to pour the rich wine in silence. "So," I start, I didn't want to talk about Daniel in front of him, "Why all the fancy things? I thought we were just going out to a nice cheap McDonald's somewhere in Vegas."

Daniel smirks and chuckles as he shakes his head, "You can go to a McDonald's anywhere. This is the best restaurant in Vegas, a one of a kind you can only get here."

I nod in agreement, "True, but you know that I hate getting all dressed up and you spending money on me." Even if sometimes he didn't spend money at all, I didn't want it. I just don't feel that I deserved the nice things he gives me.

"Lauren, you really don't have to worry about that. I've told you how many times now that it doesn't matter, you're worth every penny." His eyes flicker up and down me before he reaches for his glad of wine, "Plus, I like seeing you all dressed up; you look beautiful, not to mention sexy. You may not like it but I do, I get to see a little more skin. You've always been a tease." He winks before he raises the glass to his lips.

I blush in embarrassment, because the host looks right at me when he says it. I kick my foot into Daniel's shin, using some of my extra strength to be sure it hurt.

Daniel doesn't yelp at his pain. Although he jerks back and a hushed 'ow' escapes his lips.

I smile, satisfied with my little way of getting payback and take a sip of the sweet, rich wine.

"Anything else before you order your meal?" The host asks, acting as if he didn't hear Daniel's sexual comment.

"I think we're good, thank you." Daniel says kindly. "Whatever she orders, I'll have."

The host nods and takes out his notepad and pen from the back of his pocket. "What would you like Miss?"

Off the bat, I order a Caesar salad. Daniel just gives a strange look and adds, "And the best steak you have. Preferably Filet Mignon, the rarest it comes." Daniel shares a glance with me. I knew what he meant when he asked for it the rarest, a little vampire reference and joke.

"Right away sir." He turns to me and bows a little, "Madam." He scurries off towards where ever the kitchen within the restaurant was. My attention draws back to Daniel, but before I can get a word out of my mouth, I hear someone softly crying out in pain. I turn my attention over to the female cry and notice she was holding a handkerchief to her hand. Soon, the red liquid that was oozing from her wound seeps through the white of the handkerchief, making a blotch of red showing.

Immediately, I stop breathing. I find myself entranced by the sight of the blood and soon, the rustic smell of it reaches me. I hold in my breath and try my best to keep myself composed. My hand curls tighter around the wine glass, as my body starts to tremble for the _need_ of the blood. I hear the sound of glass shattering at the same time as I feel the liquid falls over my hand. I couldn't even feel the few glass pieces that were sticking out of my fingers; all I could focus on was the blood. I feel my face changing slowly, to my fangs and my eyes becoming clearer; ready for the hunt.

I hear Daniel saying my name in harsh whispers but I ignored him, the blood was something that I couldn't resist.

Just then, Daniel shakes me lightly. I hadn't realized he had gotten up from his seat. "Come on," he beckons. Without another word, Daniel grasps his fingers around my wrist and rips me off of my seat and strides ahead of me, dragging me along with him.

"What are you doing?" I demand through clenched teeth out of anger and frustration, as I try to control my vampire side.

"I'm getting you out of here," Daniel whispers as he continues to drag me as quickly as he can without drawing attention to where ever he planned on taking me.

I continue to look back at the woman with the cut hand; I stare at her and feel my eyes changing again. She looks up at me in that exact moment and notices. Her mouth drops, and her eyes screamed in fear. Immediately I look away, even though it almost pained me to.

Daniel practically hurls me into the bathroom of the restaurant and locks the door behind me. I try to get him out of my way to go back out to the restaurant and drink that woman's blood, anyone's blood in fact. But Daniel's arms are around my waist, holding me back. "Lauren!" he shouts, "Stop fighting." I ignore him and continue to kick and push Daniel away from me. "I said stop!" He throws me against the wall and pins my arms down. It wasn't until I see Daniel's exasperated face that I realize what I was doing; instantly I stop.

I blink rapidly, and try to clear my vision from the tears about to emerge. "What's wrong with me?" My voice breaks.

"Nothing's wrong with you." Daniel denies gently, "You're part vampire, these things happen."

I shake my head, "Not this much, I should be over it by now. Why am I not over this constant craving for blood? I hate this."

Daniel tucks a stray hair behind my ear, "It's probably because you're not used to being around a large crowd." He releases me, and walks to the door, "Wait here, I'll be right back." He doesn't wait for my response and exits the bathroom, leaving me alone.

I sigh as I push myself off of the wall. How was Daniel able to stand me? It's not his job to take care of me but he still does it anyways. I loved him for that, but at the same time, I can't tolerate the feeling of annoyance I must bring him.

This bathroom looked exactly like the one in our hotel room except the size of it and the marble wasn't a white color, it was more of a tan color. I press a hand to the side of my face as I walk over to the bathroom's mirror which also looked familiar to ours. My arms straighten while grasping the edge of the marbled countertop as I try to take my mind off of my newly formed headache.

I turn on the sink and squirt some hand soap onto my palms, scrubbing in the slippery liquid into the skin of my hands. Once I have the soap completely lathered, I place my hands under the warm water and wash away the suds.

Just as I reach for a folded fresh towel lying just left of the sink, the door creaks open. My head whips, forgot that the door was unlocked and anyone could come in. But lucky it was Daniel… with company I did not recognize. A man wearing a tuxedo, with a well groomed mustache that matched his brown hair, was walking in right in front of Daniel."What's going on Daniel?"

He ignores my question and locks the door behind him. Immediately, Daniel steps in front of the man "Don't make a sound. It won't hurt as she drinks from you." He glances back at my confused expression but focuses on the man again, I can hear the smile in his voice as he orders, "Now roll up a sleeve for the lady and let her drink."

Listening to Daniel's demand, the man rolls up his tux sleeve and walks over to me. Before he gets anywhere near me, I shout, "Stop, don't come any closer!" My eyes dart over to Daniel's, "What's going on?"

Daniel slowly walks over to the man and I. "You haven't fed from the vein often enough. In order to control your cravings, you need to feed from someone and overcome the urge to drain them; you need to get used to feeding from an actual source." He says this in a matter-of-fact tone. In a flash, he grasps the man's wrist and bites down on it, feeding from him.

After a minute of standing there in confusion and disgust, I shout, "Stop it Daniel, you're going to kill him!"

He listens and looks up at me with blood dripping from his mouth; somehow the drops avoiding his suit. His red eyes examine me before saying, "Your turn princess." He smiles, his fangs still there, as he holds out the bloodied wrist he just fed from, to me. "I had my fill, now it's time for yours."

I shake my head. "You said I need to feed from an actual source, right? What if I just fed from animals?"

It's Daniel's turn to shake his head at me, "Nope, not going to work, you need to keep your strength up and the only way to do that is if you drink human blood. Now."

My lower lip quivers, "Please don't make me do this Daniel, I can't. I'll him, I've killed once and I don't want to do it ever again. Please Daniel. I already know I won't be able to stop; I can't live with myself if I end up killing him."

Daniel looks down to floor, my words clearly affecting him. "Okay," he starts when he looks back into my eyes, "I'll stop you if you go too far. Like I did last time you fed on a human. You won't hurt him and you'll have your fill, it's a win-win."

I shake my head once more. "I don't want to take that risk, what if you-"

"What if I what?" he interrupts me, sounding aggravated. "What if I don't? I _will. _I'm not the bad guy here." He sighs, "You think I want to see you like this? You actually begging me to not to make you do this? It kills me Lauren because I can't make your pain stop. The only way I can help you is by teaching you to feed and become accustomed to it." His voice softens, "Please let me help you and get you on the right track."

I look at Daniel's human expression and see a sense of longing and understanding. I knew he would stop me from killing this man, I trusted him. He also knew I wouldn't be able to live with that type of guilt that I killed an innocent person. I nod my head and whisper, "Okay."

Daniel takes a step back to give me room to feed when I step forward. I hold the man's forearm, and watch the blood rushing up to the surface thanks to Daniel's teeth. I can feel myself feeling the need to drink, the same feelings I felt when that woman cut herself. I feel the change to my face, but instead of fighting it, I welcome it. My body practically forces me to bring the man's arms up to my lips and drink. But before I do so, I glance back to Daniel and give him a nod. When he nods back, I give in to the vampire side of me.

The blood tastes colder than I was used to but as I sink my deeper into his arm, I feel the warmth gradually coming. The familiar taste enthralls me and brings me the feeling of being alive. It felt almost like… being human again.

I cling to the man's arm tighter, not wanting the feeling to go away. The feeling of being human, I already missed it. I didn't like this new person that I have become; always having the need to consume blood and the constant need to kill, to rip someone's jugular out. I was ashamed with myself for behaving like this but my thirst clouds my judgment when I continue indulging the blood.

"Lauren." Daniel orders me, "Stop."

I ignore him and continue on with drinking, every intention of draining every single drop of blood from this man's veins. Despite the voice telling me to stop, I sink my teeth deeper into the flesh.

"Stop; you're going to kill him." He harshly whispers.

Kill him. The two words immediately make me sick to my stomach. I am instantly reminded of the memory of my first kill; Haley's mother. The emotions that I felt when I murdered her reenter my mind, and make me feel terrible on the inside. I knew I didn't want to kill an innocent life, let alone a stranger I didn't know. I think about this man and if he had a wife, or kids. I couldn't take that away; I wouldn't. It takes every ounce of strength I had in me to pull myself back.

I stand there, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I actually pulled myself away from the blood. Daniel didn't have to pull me back or anything, it was all me. I smile to myself as I wipe the blood from my mouth. I look down at my dress to see if it suffered through my feeding but it was spotless. I turn to Daniel, ecstatic. "I did it!" I throw myself into his arms.

He holds me close and whispers in my ear, "I knew you could do it."

"I can't believe I was able to do it. I wanted to drain him so badly; the thought of killing again helped motivate me to pull away." I tighten my hold around Daniel's waist a little tighter. "Are you sure I should be drinking from humans?" I didn't know how short lived my happiness would be; I wasn't even sure if I was able to pull away from the blood again.

I can feel his head nodding against my head, "I'm afraid so. The only way you'll be in control is if you feed from the source. Don't worry though; you'll get the hang of it soon. You just have to believe you will." He then pulls away and walks over to the man I had just fed on. He stares into his eyes and says, "You're going to forget this ever happened. When you get back to your table, just say you had to solve an issue with a waiter. And don't show anyone your wrist. Leave now." Just as Daniel said, the man leaves without a word. Daniel then turns his attention back to me, "See? Easy enough." He holds out a hand.

'I don't know…' I drift off, 'What if I can't do it again and I kill someone? I can't deal with that guilt.' I think to myself. Even though I felt happy and relieved about pulling away from the man's blood, I still felt guilty. I wanted to believe that this newfound will against the blood would last but I had my doubts; especially since my blood lust was stronger than any other vampires.

I push away the thoughts, take a deep breath, and say with a smile, "It is." I remembered what Daniel had said, to have one night with no worries and to not talk about the war or anything relevant to it. So I keep my doubts to myself, I didn't want to burden Daniel more than I already do. I wanted him to have a good night just as much as I did. "Before we leave, we should probably clean ourselves off, don't you think?"

"That would be a good idea." He strides over to the sink and activates the sink and quickly rinses his face. The blood becoming a pinkish color when it combines with the water just as it rushes down the drain. It takes him seconds to finish and when he turns to me, I can see there is no trace of blood on his face. He reaches for a towel to wipe off the water and what little blood was left. Instead of throwing away the towel, he wipes my chin with the soft material. "I didn't mean to yell at you earlier, I just got… frustrated."

"I know that you only were frustrated because you care so much." I say against the cloth. "Besides, I was being a little annoying anyways, but, it's fine. We can move on from that."

"Okay," he agrees with me willingly. "No more arguing; for tonight." He smiles lightly as he finishes off cleaning my chin. "Let's have one night where we don't have any problems." He tosses the used hand towel into the trash just to the right of the sink. He takes hold of my hand and smoothes his thumb over the back of my hand. "No talk of anyone dying and nothing about the war, like we agreed to earlier."

I smile back, "Of course, I wouldn't love anything more than that." I straighten myself, give Daniel a genuine smile and say, "Come on, we should probably get back to the table before our waiter misses us."


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter 19_

He smirks and nods just before pulling me along with him out of the bathroom and into the restaurant. Back to the secluded, private, table of ours that was now being shadowed by the host; who was placing a flower bouquet of white roses and baby breath on the fine laminated wooden surface. And within the bunch of floral, was a small card sticking out of the center.

By the time we return to the table, the host had managed to scramble away from us without a word. I quirk an eyebrow, both at the host's sudden escape, and at the roses. "Are those from you?" I question out loud just as Daniel pulls out the seat for me.

"Yes," he pushes the seat in as I sit, "but he wasn't supposed to bring it out until later. Maybe I should get him fired for that." I roll my eyes at Daniel's teasing.

"Thank you for them, they're lovely." I take a whiff of them, breathing in their sweet, floral scent. "You were saying before we got interrupted?" I say quizzically, referring back to our conversation before my sudden 'wanting to kill people' urge. I was taking his advice and distracting myself from the war, my mom, Rachel, and Adam. And I was curious to know what it was about him that made him so 'known' around the hotel.

He's a little confused at first until he thinks back to what we were talking about before the blood issue. "Oh right," he clears his throat, "My family, the Wynn's they're known as now, own this hotel actually. Seeing as I'm family, everyone is supposed to treat me with the outmost respect."

"Wait," I say a little confused, "How do you have family when you're an only child? You told me before that your mother and father had no siblings either."

"I didn't tell you, did I?" Daniel says, also confused, "I had a sister; she's been dead for… for awhile." He looks down at the table, with his eyes saddened for a split second but then they're back to normal when he looks back up at me, "Well, she was my half sister; my father had her with another woman before he met my mother so she was about 4 years older than me."

I reach my hand across the table and take hold of his, "I'm sorry Daniel. Were you two close?"

He nods his head, "When we were kids, not so much after I turned 20; when I became a… you know what and my father died." He sighs and stares into nothing, his eyes flashing back to the moments he had with his sister, "That was probably the worst time of my life; I had to go through my transition alone and I had to leave the only family member I had left."

I didn't know what to say at this news. I had just found out he had a sister and now he was confessing everything about her to me. At the same time, it made me feel grateful Daniel and I could talk like this. "I'm so sorry Daniel; I know it must have been a terrible time for you. I imagine I know how you're feeling, but I want you to know that I'm never going to leave you; I'll always be here for you." His thumb rubs circles into the back of my hand just before he smiles softly at me.

"I know," he lifts my hand and kisses it. "And it's the same for me. I won't ever leave you."

"Tell me more about your sister," I murmur, "It might be a good thing to talk about her, by sharing her memory." I examine his hands as I stroke the back of them with my index finger, noticing a couple scars carved into his skin.

Daniel frowns down at the hand I'm stroking softly, "I've never talked about her before, not to anyone. It feels kind of good to talk about her."

I smirk, grateful that I was able to make Daniel that comfortable with me. "I'm glad." I clear my throat, "So, what was her name? What was she like? Tell me everything you know about her."

Daniel smiles at my enthusiasm towards learning more about his older sister. "Her name was Veronica; I called her Vee for short. Her golden blonde hair made her glow and so did her smile, and when she laughed, you couldn't help but laugh with her." He sighs, "We used to play in the street alleys when we were younger, and play games together like a version of 'kick the can'. Her mother was actually friends with mine and that was how we knew each other; it wasn't because we shared the same father. My mother actually had no idea about that, my father and Veronica's mom wanted to keep it a secret from her so they didn't tell us until we were older. In fact, it wasn't until my mother Elizabeth… passed away that we found out." He looks back up at me. "But you know that story."

I nod in agreement. "Thank you for being able to talk to me about this, I appreciate it." I continue, when I my eyes meet his. "I'm sorry for all the people you've lost over the years. I can't imagine what that must be like for you."

"It's alright Lauren because if I hadn't gone through all of that pain and neglect, I would have never met you." His eyes were so sincere and full of something else. Something stirred behind those aqua eyes of his that I couldn't point out. It made me feel complete, looking at him. Everything I ever needed, everything I've ever wanted, I found in him. I connected with him on so many different levels, sometimes that was a problem, but we always got through them. No matter what.

I smile a true smile, something that I haven't done in awhile. Daniel truly made me happy. Anything he said would be able to lift my spirits in an instant. I knew he felt the same way, why would he go through all the pain to be with me, like he said? It was never logical for him to love me. But despite the irrational fact that he did, it made me love him more. My love for him was irrevocable and unconditional.

I was about to tell Daniel how lucky I truly was to have him, until the host comes around to the table with two salads on a circular polished silver tray. He lays my salad in front of me first before going to Daniel. "The steak should be done in a few minutes sir, is there anything else you would like me to get you?"

"This should be fine, thank you." Daniel says politely while continuing to watch me.

Without a word, he walks off. "Daniel," I start after the host is out of ear shot, "I just want to tell-"

"Hang on," he says abruptly, interrupting my sentence. I hadn't even noticed the sound of his phone ringing. He immediately picks up, "What's up?" He asks in a serious tone. There is a pause before I see his expression change from concern to annoyance and anger. "Take care of it." Pause. "You know I can't Alex." He sighs, "Just this once and I promise I'll handle the situation if it happens again." Another short pause. "Thank you, text me if anything else happens." He clicks end before placing the phone back in his suit pocket. "You were saying?"

"What was that about?"

He shakes his head slightly, "It was nothing."

"That was clearly not nothing, what's going on Daniel?" If it was nothing like he said, then he wouldn't have acted so strongly against it.

"Lauren, it's nothing. The problem is being fixed as we speak, let's just forget about it." Before I can get a chance to angrily comment back, Daniel's phone shrills a different tone than before. Once again, Daniel pulls out his phone and looks at it, texts back to the message quickly, and puts it back. "It's getting fixed." He repeats.

"If it's nothing, why is it so hard for you to tell me?" I pierce a couple pieces of lettuce of the salad with my fork and slide the big chunk of salad into my mouth and chew. To help swallow the salad down my throat, I take a sip of wine and swallow both the beverage and the lettuce at the same time. "I don't care if it's getting fixed, all I want to know is what it is that's supposed to get fixed."

Daniel sighs. "I just want you to have one night where you don't have to worry so I don't think I'm going to tell you."

"But Daniel," I reach a hand out and place it over his, "it's not going to ruin the night. If me almost killing someone tonight didn't ruin the evening, I have no idea what would."

He looks at me up and down. "If I tell you, do you promise not to call or text anybody about it and to not mention anything about it for the rest of the night? And to not sneak off to try to solve the problem yourself?" I give him a slightly offended look, from the sounds of it; he was making me out to be repulsive. "Lauren, I know you. Trust me, when something like this comes up you're determined to fix it yourself or try to save everyone."

I shrug off his accusations. "Fine, I promise not to do any of those things. Now, what's going on?"

"Well, Alex called saying that Natalie wasn't in her room, she was gone; that was the first issue and that's what she called about. Luckily, Alex found her but Natalie is saying that there are werewolves lurking around." Daniel says point blank.

My first thought goes to Haley; they must be looking for her. Word must have gone out that Haley was with us now and they didn't like that. They were probably here to kill us and get their heir back home safely. But there was no way I would have that happen and to have the Fenris' only use her for their selfish needs. "Where's Haley?" I blurt out.

"She's fine," he assures me, "Alex, Shawn, and her are together and they're leaving the hotel for a little while to be safe. They should probably be back tomorrow morning once Adam's henchmen scope the place out and see they're not there."

I nod in understanding and relief. But I was still confused on a few things: "Why are we still here then if they're looking for us?"

"First off," Daniel adjusts himself, "we're here to have a nice time and some dumb werewolves aren't going to stop that. And," he says before I can say anything, "if we were to get caught it would give Haley and the other two a chance to get themselves as far away as possible."

That made sense actually, it was better than Haley getting captured. At least Daniel and I could fight back. We shouldn't be fighting yet in the first place, that was supposed to be in a couple of days when we would be able to confront Adam and his pack. "How did they find us?"

He shrugs, "I have no idea. They either figured it out, which I highly doubt, or someone working for them saw us and decided to let them know." He looks up, his gaze distant from me. If Daniel wasn't worried before, he definitely was now. His facial expression changes when he sees something. I turn to see what was so interesting but his voice stops me. "Don't turn around." He orders me just before he explains, "I recognize that guy; he was the one shooting at us from the car back in Bozeman. We better get out of here before they cause a scene."

Daniel gets on his feet but before he walks off, he pulls me up from my seat and drags me along. His attention turns to the host for a second, passing him on the way towards the exit, "Can you please box up those steaks I ordered and send them to my room? Thank you. And if anyone asks about me and my whereabouts, tell them I left the city." He doesn't even wait for a reply before he walks me out the front doors of the restaurant.

"Where are we going Daniel?" I ask, starting to become a little worried. Daniel walks us to the left, down the wide marbled floor of the hallway.

"Honestly? I have no idea; our best bet would be leading them somewhere out of the public eye. They're not afraid to pick a fight in front of humans." He sighs, "Look for a place that looks vacant, maybe we'll be able to stick it out and wait till they see we're not here. We should probably lay low and not make a scene."

I look behind us to see if we had been followed, and sure enough, I see three men striding over towards us. "Umm… Daniel." I nudge him and jab my thumb to behind.

Daniel sees what I'm talking, "Shit," Daniel curses under his breath. He speeds up his pace and I do the same while continuing to look back at them. The first man I recognize if the man Daniel was talking about, the man who tried to kill us back in Bozeman. He had buzzed dark brown hair with eyes to match. He was very bulky, in the muscular sort of way; he had the same built as his friends. In fact, they practically all looked the same minus their hair color and facial structure. But all these details escape my mind when I see them quickly gaining on us.

"We have to run Daniel, as fast as our feet can take us. We have to get out of here before anyone innocent gets hurt."

He glances back at the henchmen and takes one good look at me before agreeing, "You're right." Without warning, Daniel pulls me with all his might just as he increases his speed, to the point where he becomes a blur. I immediately catch up with his speed and trust he will bring us to safety, either that or a place where innocent people can be safe from harm.

We turn a corner and into a vacant room where the lighting was low and the air colder than the hallway. Then suddenly, a figure appears directly in Daniel's way, and in an instant, he is thrown to the ground. I stifle a shriek and quickly move to get the man off of Daniel. That is when I feel a cold hand grasp tightly around my throat and pin me up against a nearby wall, cutting off most of my air circulation.

It's the henchman with the brown hair and eyes. "Where is she?" He grumbles in a low voice.

Of course I knew who he was referring to; Haley. I had no idea where she was and if I knew, I wouldn't have revealed the information. I would be damned if I allowed Haley to live a life she didn't want to, a life that would completely change her for the worst. She wouldn't live a life where she was substantially a slave to Adam as long as I was living. "What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" I manage to spit out with venom.

"Let's put it this way," the man says harshly, "You tell us where she is and we'll spare your boyfriend's life."

In an instant, my eyes flash over to Daniel's body. He tries to wrestle his way out of the grasp of the two men pinning him down to the ground by his arms. He looks to down to the floor, to his knees, and then looks up to me through his dark eyelashes. Once he sees that he has my full attention, Daniel nods his head ever so slightly, as if he was reassuring me that I didn't have to worry. And that's what I was doing, not worrying. I trusted him that he had a plan to get us out of this.

My attention returns to the man, "You wouldn't dare."

"You just made a grave mistake." He snaps his fingers and commands to the men behind him, "Rough him up a bit to make my point."

I look over to Daniel, just before a blonde haired man punches him in his gut. My eyes begin to fill with worry for Daniel, whatever he had in mind; it had better come into play fast.

Daniel quickly recoils from the blow and notices my expression; he smiles softly to let me know that I didn't have to worry. Just before the other man's fist gets a chance to come into contact with Daniel's face, Daniel catches the fist in mid-strike and uses his other hand to punch him square in the jaw. Blondie number two moves to attack but is instantly stopped when Daniel elbows him in the face with all his might.

I took that as my opportunity to escape. Seeing that the man holding me up against the wall was distracted with the fight, I knee him in the groin as hard as I possibly could. As suspected, he bends over and howls out in pain.

Blondie number one sees this and pulls himself away from the fight going on and uses his inhuman speed to get behind me and chokes me with his inner part of his elbow. "You're not going anywhere."

"I beg to differ," I mutter just before I tilt my head forward and hit him with the back of my head. I could tell it hurt since I heard the crunching of bone breaking underneath the pressure.

I make my way over to Daniel who now had Blondie number two pinned down on the floor, unmoving. "What now Daniel?" I ask quickly, prepared for anything next they were going to throw at us. "Should we run?"

"No, we're finishing this." I look away before I hear the snapping of bone; Daniel had snapped the man's neck like a twig. "We can't run; we're going to figure out what's going on." Daniel says, meaning business. He strides over to the dark haired man, lifts him off of the floor by his shirt; his hands made into fists into his shirt. Daniel throws him against the wall, holding him up by his shirt. "Take care of him Lauren," his head gestures to the blonde man with a bloody nose, the man I hurt.

"Take care of him as in… kill him?" I ask a little nervous for the answer even though I knew it. I was scared I wouldn't be able to handle it, killing the man I hardly knew. Sure, he tried to kill Daniel and me but that didn't mean he deserved to die too. "Shouldn't we just keep him alive? We could use him, he would be useful." I give excuses to not kill him.

"That's what this guy's for." His expression softens ever so slightly. "Lauren, we have to before anyone else knows we're here."

I sigh. He was right; we had no choice but to kill them. As far as we knew, they were the only ones who knew we were here. We couldn't take our chances, no one should know we were here or else Adam would have his whole army come here in Vegas. I nod, "Okay," I say with disappointment in my voice.

I sulk over to the blond haired man who was still on the floor in pain from me. I grab him and straighten him up so he was standing. I avoid his gaze, afraid I would see something in his face that would make me want to stop. A lone tear escapes my eye as I tell him, "I'm sorry." I quicken the process for fear that I wouldn't be able to do it, before I had time to feel worse about this. I wrap my hands around his neck and jerk them to the left, snapping his neck. I wanted to make his death painless. His body becomes limp and tumbles to the floor.

I stare down at his body, my emotions starting to change. Instead of becoming depressed like I thought I would be, I felt exhilarated. It was as if I hadn't been alive until that very moment I snapped this man's neck. It felt… better than it did before when I killed Haley's mom. I had no idea how to handle this newfound emotion or what I should do about it, all I knew was that I liked it and I didn't want the feeling to escape me.

I kept this feeling inside and try to calm myself down. I hadn't realized I had been smiling until I see Daniel look at me in a funny way. Immediately, the smile disappears, I didn't want to look crazy even though I felt like I was.

He doesn't ask me what's wrong; instead, he turns his attention to the henchman. "Who told you we were here?"

The man smiles mischievously. "You can go to hell, that's all I'm sayin'."

Daniel's and I's patience were wearing thin already. "I'm going to ask you one more time." Daniel's grip tightens. "Who told you we were here? Who was the source?"

Once again, the man ignores the question. Daniel throws him to the floor with all of his might, causing a loud 'boom' that echoed through the empty hallway. A crack in the marble appears from underneath the man, showing how hard Daniel threw him.

I become angered with the man's stubbornness. "Let me handle this," I mutter to Daniel as I stride over to the man's body, his face showed how much he hurt. And surprisingly, Daniel doesn't protest.

The man didn't look like he was in too much pain now; that was about to change. Once I'm close to him, I bend my knee back, ready to kick with everything I had. I then release my knee and let my foot strike him in his unmentionables. I can feel the tip of my heel digging into him at the same time I hear the man howling out in pain. "Are you ready to talk now?" I ask harshly.

I hear Daniel snickering quietly behind me, "Good one babe."

I turn my head to him and smile, "Thank you." I turn my attention back towards the werewolf henchman, my face becoming serious again. "Tell us who told you where we were or else a body part is coming off."

"You're going to have to do better than that." He barely mutters, still in pain from my kick. "Your threats aren't very… intimidating."

I roll my eyes; I can feel my anger building up with each breath he takes. "My threats might not be, but my actions are." I retort as I press my foot down on his chest, the heel digging into his skin as I applied pressure. "Daniel," I call, "Can you unscrew the pipe above your head and hand it to me?"

I hear the clinking of metal just before I feel the cold of the pipe on my opened palm. "Thank you." I mutter. "Do you want me to beat him with it or should I just pierce it into him repeatedly?"

"How about both?" I hear the smile in his voice, "Just let me have a go at it when you've had enough."

"Deal." I say grinning evilly. I wanted to make this man suffer for wanting to take Haley away from me; the only family member I had left that was safe. It was because of his kind that my mother was taken away from me and that my own father turned against me.

These thoughts fuel my anger as I swing the pipe to the man's face, immediately I hear the cracking of his nose shattering, and blood rushes out of relatively quickly. I continue beating his face blindly, ignoring his cries, until it's swollen and covered in cuts and bruises. The sight of him like this pleases me, knowing that he deserved it for wanting to destroy lives just like my father. "Alright, maybe now you want to talk."

The man lifts his head slightly and tries to spit on me. Instead, it drips down his face. It wasn't even saliva, it was blood. "Sorry toots, don't know anything," he says, his mouth barely able to move, the corners of his lips quirk up into a dark smile.

"You're going to regret saying that." I say before plunging the pipe into his abdomen. He grunts at the pain, unable to scream with his mouth so disfigured. "Did that suddenly jog your memory?" I pull out the pipe, and I can tell from his expression that it also hurt.

"I've… been… through… worse." He wheezes out of his mangled body. I closely examine his body, realizing how bad his injuries were… and they were all because of me.

I look down at the blunt object that I possessed in my hand; I see the blood that covered half of the pipe and that's when something clicks inside of me. I drop the pipe in an instant, as if it was hot. I finally realize what I had been doing to this poor man. It was as if a shroud of darkness had been lifted off of me. I wasn't being myself. I was never a violent person; in fact, I was against it for the most part. And I had beaten the man to the point where he could barely see or talk, or let alone function properly. Despite the fact that he would heal from the wounds I inflicted, I still felt guilty and like a coldhearted person. The very thought of me laying another hand on this man makes me sick to my stomach.

I swallow hard, holding back a sob. "You should handle it from here Daniel." I trot away from the man and lean on the farthest wall of the room before Daniel could ask questions. Unfortunately, I hear his footsteps following me.

I stare into the darkness and avoid looking into the light, I didn't want to give away the fact that I was about to cry. When Daniel steps next to me, I don't say anything at first. I waited for him to say something and when he doesn't, I ask softly to mask the anxiety in my voice, "What?"

"What's wrong?" He whispers softly, genuinely concerned for me.

I shake my head lightly, "Nothing."

"You wouldn't just run off like that if it wasn't anything. You can tell me anything, you know that."

I stay silent for a minute. When I see that he had no intention of leaving my side until I told him what had come over me, I sigh and look to him. My eyes stinging with tears, I confess in a barely audible whisper, "I'm a monster."

He shakes his head, "No you're not Lauren. Why-"

"Look at him Daniel!" I jerk a hand to the man who was still lying on the floor, with a pool of blood soaking him. "Do you honestly think that I would ever do that to someone? Torturing them and beating them mercilessly?"

"I had a feeling you would do something like this eventually." Before I could question why he felt that way, he explains. "It's an instinct to make people suffer Lauren, especially since you're a vampire now. Sometimes we like to inflict the pain we have onto others. I think you blame him for everything bad that's happened to you lately, that it's his fault we're in this war in the first place. You're just taking your frustration out on him Lauren, and that's a good thing."

I remain silent, letting this sink in. He was right; I felt it in my gut that he was right to why I was acting this way. But I still couldn't help but feel terrible about everything. I shouldn't be coming up with excuses to make what I did okay, what I did to him wasn't okay in anyway shape or form. I shouldn't blame my vampire side; it was me acting upon it after all. It was my fault.

I vowed to myself that I would never turn into that type of person again as long as I lived. I would never lay a finger on someone longer than necessary even if they deserved it. I wouldn't lose control over myself every again.

My head nods once. "Okay. I guess you're right. Just, can you finish all of this? I just want to leave." Just because I came to conclusion with myself that I wouldn't torture anyone again, didn't mean that I felt better over the situation.

"I'll try to quicken the pace of getting the information we need then we'll leave, I promise." He kisses my forehead before turning to finish what I had started. I catch him by his wrist. "No, don't torture him anymore, just end his misery." I mutter in a monotone voice.

"But Lauren, we need to get this information so we have somewhere to go; to actually have a lead." I didn't really know what my expression was exactly saying to him but whatever it was, it had gotten to Daniel. He smiles weakly. "Okay," he agrees tenderly. "Maybe he'll have a cell phone on him where we can get information from."

Daniel walks over to the man's still body and takes out the pipe from his stomach, and tosses it to the side, making a clinking noise as it bounced off the marbled floor. Before Daniel puts him out of his misery, I turn my head away into the darkness just in time; only hearing the sound of flesh severing. Soon, Daniel appears at my side, "Let's go." He gently places a hand at the small of my back, guiding me out of the door. Before we exit the room, I look behind me to see what exactly had happened to the man. But, there are no bodies to be found, Daniel had gotten rid of the evidence. By the time we leave Vegas, someone will be sure to find the bodies I had mutilated.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author warning: There is **__**a lot**__** some sexual content in this chapter. If you're not 18 and order or aren't comfortable with it, I suggest you don't read it. Wait for the next chapter to come up, which won't be for awhile. Thank you. **_

_Chapter 20_

Our way back to the hotel room was silent. It was mostly because of me, I was still in shock from what had happened moments ago. I helped Daniel kill werewolves and I still had no idea what to think about it. For some odd reason, I _liked_ it; it was my vampirism talking but still, it was not like me at all. I felt remorse when I killed Haley's mom, someone who was undeserving of it, but when I killed that henchmen, I felt nothing. It was as if I had no emotions, and that scared me. I didn't want to go through that experience again even though I knew I would have to, it would be the only way having the heart to kill Adam. Hopefully, he would be the last person who would be killed by my hand; I wouldn't have to kill again.

Daniel holds open the door for me. "Thanks," I mutter as I step onto the marbled floor and remove my heels. I look back to see Daniel shutting the door quietly behind him. "Sorry about tonight," I apologize. "It was ruined wasn't it?"

He shakes his head 'no'. "The night isn't over yet you know." He walks up to me, "What do you want to do now? If you want to go to bed, that's fine with me."

I look at him with a small smile on my face. He always put me before himself; it was sweet and selfless of him. There was no way I was going to go to sleep, especially after tonight. The night was already ruined, might as well stay up and try to make it a little bit better. "I honestly just want to be with you. We can talk. Anything, as long as I am with you."

"Talking sounds good to me." Without a word, Daniel takes hold of my hand and guides me over to the comfortable leather loveseat. He releases my hand once I sit, "I'll go get us something out of the kitchen." He announces before walking off, "What do you want?"

"Is there anything that contains alcohol?" I ask half jokingly.

"There's champagne."

"That is fine, thanks."

I hear clinking of glass as I watch Daniel pour the freshly opened champagne into two glasses. I turn my attention to the front of me and stare out of the fairly large window, to the Vegas strip. The view that we were lucky to have showed off the good parts of Vegas, from the beautiful buildings, to the streets filled with luxurious cars. The neon lights illuminated every building there was, making it next to impossible to miss any detail on them. I wanted to go out and explore what Vegas had to offer besides their casinos and strip clubs. But spending time with Daniel was much more important to me than anything else.

I don't hear Daniel come up behind me, so when he taps my shoulder, I jump at the touch. He chuckles. "Why are you so jumpy?" He questions just before handing me the glass of champagne, and moves to the spot right next to me on the couch.

I shrug, "You took me by surprise, that's all. Plus from tonight's events, I have reason to be a little jumpy, don't you think?"

He nods, and it is silent for a little while until he apologizes to me, "I'm sorry for making you kill tonight, it was wrong of me. I shouldn't have done that to you, especially when I knew how you felt about the whole situation. I mean it when I say I'm sorry."

I smile, happy that he apologized even though he didn't have to. He didn't make me kill, it was my choice and I chose to do it. If I was going to kill my father, I had to get used to the feeling of it all. "You don't need to apologize to me. I know what I did, and if it comes down to saving Haley or you, I would do it again." I pause, contemplating if I should tell Daniel about my emotion towards killing the men, that I liked it. I decide to, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Is it weird that I… liked it? More than I did before. I don't know what it is but it helped all the tension built inside me." I hoped I didn't sound insane.

He shakes his head lightly. "No, it's not. Honestly, it's natural for you to feel that. You know I went through a period of non-stop killing. When I did it, it helped the 'tension' but it also helped with the pain I had. All the emotions I felt somehow melted away and I felt like nothing could touch me. And when I stopped killing for even a day, all the emotions came rushing back. That's why I killed so much, so I couldn't feel anything." He takes a breath, "But eventually, I realized what I was doing wasn't right and I got myself straightened out. Lauren, if you're afraid of not being able to control yourself, you have nothing to worry about. I'll help you through it and get you better, if you need it that is. I don't think you'll get to that point though."

I smile softly for a second, "I know you will and thank you. It's just that I feel bad for liking it so much."

"I wouldn't worry about it; I promise you'll be okay." He pecks the top of my head with his lips, "Besides, I didn't really want to fight them anyways, we had no choice." He pauses, "But you're with me, so you have nothing to be scared of. I would never let anything happen to you, I'll always protect you. You know that."

"I know." I barely smirk. I knew that, and I loved him for always protecting me even when I was capable protecting myself now, but if it was his life at stake, I couldn't let him save me. I knew I promised Daniel that I wouldn't think or say anything about something dealing with the war but I couldn't help it; it wasn't exactly something you could ever forget, even for a night. Where ever we go, the war follows; the werewolves to be more specific, they're the cause of this war in the first place.

I didn't believe that he didn't want to fight them like he said; he loved any chance he got to fight with werewolves. Especially since the werewolves took everything from him; they took me away from him at one point in time, they stole his chances of happiness, and they've caused him a life of running too. In fact, they really did take me away from him; if it wasn't for the Velknar's, Daniel wouldn't have to change me to keep me alive and I would have still been human. Sometimes I find myself wondering if he preferred me that way; human. Ever since I changed, he seemed to be emotionally unstable at times. I would rather I have died by the Velknar's hand than to have Daniel hate the fact that I wasn't the person he wanted me to be.

The thought starts to really bother me, so, I had to ask, "Does it bother you that I'm not human anymore?" I could barely get the question out of my mouth without my voice cracking slightly in my whisper.

As I suspected, Daniel furrows his brow out of confusion and concern. "What makes you think that it bothers me?"

I shrug and raise the glass rim to my lips to take a sip of the bubbly beverage. "Well seeing that you didn't answer the question right then, it seems that I'm right." I uncross my legs and straighten my spine, "It does, doesn't it?" I question, starting to become frustrated and upset. "Daniel, I can't-"

"It doesn't bother me." He says cautiously. "Sure, it makes me wonder what it would be like now if you were still human but I accept you regardless." He sighs and confesses, "You would have been happier human, and I hate seeing your pain Lauren."

"Daniel," I start with warmth in my voice. "It doesn't matter if I'm human or not, I'll always still feel pain. Yeah, sometimes I miss not having the random urges to kill but I know in due time I'll get it right, I won't have them anymore. Trust me Daniel when I say, I wouldn't be happier human. It sounds crazy but I feel complete now. I always felt when I was human that I was missing something; like there was something about me that didn't feel right. Now that I'm a hybrid, I don't feel like a part of me is missing. It's weird to say but maybe I'm meant to be this way Daniel, with you."

A warm smile appears on his face. He doesn't say anything to my confession at first; he just rubs circles into the back of my hand with his thumb. Until he says in a whisper, "You're not crazy. I just don't want you to think that because you're not human I don't love you." He brings my hand to his lips and gives it a kiss. "Just making myself clear."

I giggle. It is silent for a minute, content in each other's presence until, "You know, we never got a chance to dance."

"You're right," he realizes. But then he points out, "I thought you hated dancing."

It was true but after everything that had happened tonight, I thought that was the least I could do for him. "Usually I do, but tonight I'll make an exception. Too bad we don't have music though," I also pointed out.

"I'm sure there's a CD somewhere." He puts down his glass of champagne on the glass coffee table to search for some music. And right away, he finds one located between the stereo and the shelf. 'As if this wasn't planned out already' I think to myself. Daniel inserts the disc and soon, the room is filled with soft, soothing music and soon, a man singing softly along with the music.

Daniel holds out an open palm for me to accept, and I do. He leads me to the center of the living room and pulls me gently to his body with an arm around my waist and a hand in my own and begins swaying to the music. Shortly after, I begin to sway along with him. We dance in silence, taking in each other's presence; thankful for each other. After a little while, I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes, focusing on the beautiful sound of instruments, particularly the violin playing. The man then begins singing again, '... While all the word is saying, you were meant for love. Isn't it romantic, merely to be young on such a night like this?'

This moment felt right. I was the luckiest girl in the world to be in Daniel's arms right now. He could have chosen anyone, someone much prettier and ordinary, someone who was good enough for him but he chose me instead. I was glad he did choose me, I wouldn't know where I would be today without him. He had changed my life forever, for the better. Daniel had sacrificed everything to be with me, to keep me alive. And for that, I was eternally grateful. Daniel has been there for me through thick and thin, and we survived everything that the world threw at us, that was love.

But in this moment, right now, in his arms dancing with him, the world feels at peace like everything was right in the world. Like there was no war going on, like no one had been murdered or kidnapped, no pain; absolutely nothing wrong in the world. I was happy, truly happy and it was strange but I let it in, not wanting to let the feeling go. This was what true happiness felt like, and it was all thanks to Daniel.

I feel Daniel rest his head on top of mine, and we just stayed that way; swaying to the music. It wasn't until the song stopped that Daniel and I both remove our heads off of each other and stared into each other's eyes, silent.

Daniel felt the same connection I was having; he was feeling what I was feeling. I just knew it.

Our faces inch closer as I continue gazing into his beautiful aqua eyes. I see a flicker of something in his eyes, something I couldn't point out. Whatever it was, I somehow felt different, feeling it too. I get butterflies in my stomach as I continue searching his eyes for whatever it was making me feel this way.

When my nose is barely touching his, I take in his scent and become aroused. Suddenly my senses heighten and feel that I _needed_ him, every inch of him. I make a move to kiss his lips gently but he stops me by whispering my name. "Lauren, I-"

I bring my finger to his lips, removing my arm from around his shoulder, "Shh, don't talk. Just let this happen." I tip my index finger back, and when he doesn't say anything I place my arm back to the top of his shoulder, my fingers grazing the nape of his neck.

Daniel breaks what little space that was left between us, his lips grazing mine. My eyes close slowly as I kiss him back.

At first, we are both gentle with the kiss. It was soft and safe, it was never the way we usually kissed but I was okay with it. It was like our first all over again, different, yet satisfying. I can faintly smell the mint in his breath as he begins to press his lips harder against mine.

This newfound hunger I have takes over my actions. My tongue trails his lower lip, teasing him with it. He moans so softly that I thought I imagined it at first. Finally, his mouth opens slightly, giving me the opportunity to enter my tongue and collide it with his for only a moment. I grab his hair and pull his head down closer to me, shoving his tongue deeper into my mouth.

After awhile, I'm forced to come up for air and pull away. The tip of Daniel's tongue trails down to my jaw where he continues kissing me. I tilt my head back slightly and move my head to the right of me, exposing what could be shown of my neck, inviting him. His kisses trails down my jaw line and to the side of my neck, making my nerves tingle and aroused with excitement. The feeling of his lips warms me. I whimper, increasingly becoming turned on from his touch.

I pull his face back up to mine, and we crush our lips together. I take a couple steps back, leading Daniel towards the couch that was only feet away. Once I feel the bottom of the couch behind my ankles, I drop myself down onto the cushions. Daniel's lips never leave mine as I lay back all the way; my legs spread and bend around him.

His hand lingers on the outer part of my knee, while his other supports his weight on top of me. His palm slowly trails down my outer thigh and into my dress, his fingertips tickling me lightly brushing the skin. Daniel tries to remove my stocking but is unable to due to small buckles attaching it to the slip I had forgotten I was wearing. He pulls away from my mouth, trying to figure out why it wasn't coming off so easily. "Whoops." I murmur, smiling to myself.

"What's that supposed to mean exactly?" He inquires playfully.

"It's a surprise." I say teasingly. I had honestly forgotten I was wearing them; I still wanted to surprise him though. I wanted to see his reaction when he saw me without the dress on. Afterall, I had used his money to buy it, might as well put it in good use. "How about I show you?" I sit up and pull my dress back down past my knees. "Close your eyes and no peeking. I'll be right back." I stare at Daniel until he rolls his eyes just before closing them. That was my cue to leave towards the bathroom.

Once I close the door behind me, I stretch the halter over my head and shimmy out of the dress. I hang it up on the door to put away later. I look into the mirror and see that my hair is still in an up do, not very sexy. Taking out the bobby pins one at a time, and undoing the bun, my hair falls down gently on my shoulders. Quickly, I take the brush that was lying on top of the counter top and give my hair a brief brushing. Once I was done with that, I place the brush back where it laid and take a step back.

I straighten the slip to get rid of any bunches that may have scrunched up and smooth out the wrinkles. I unbuckle the garters to make it easier for Daniel. When I was finished with straightening myself out, I finally glance into the mirror, and I had to say that this was the sexiest I've ever been. With the slips tight fit, the plunging neckline, the fact that it was strapless, and how it accentuated my curves; I knew Daniel would love it.

I take in a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom quietly so Daniel is unable to hear me coming out. Before I think about telling Daniel to open his eyes, I put my hands on my hips and kick out a leg, and try my best to look sexy. "Open your eyes."

Daniel turns his body around to face me, and takes a good look at me.

I can tell he likes it from the expression on his face. His jaw practically dropped to the floor, and his eyes examined every inch of me; probably disrobing me with his eyes. He blinked repeatedly to make sure what he was seeing was real and when he came to the conclusion it was, he strides over to me and picks me up. Daniel throws me over his shoulder and walks us over to our bedroom. I genuinely laugh at his enthusiasm towards my outfit. He didn't have to say anything to tell me how much he loved the way I looked.

As soon as we reach the bedroom, Daniel lightly throws me onto the bed and removes his suit jacket, tossing it aside. I crawl over to end of the bed, balance myself on my knees, wrap my hand around Daniel's tie and use it as a way to pull him to my lips.

We continue kissing when I jump up and wrap my legs around Daniel's hips. The sudden extra weight on him doesn't faze Daniel as he holds me closer to his body and kisses me harder than before.

Without breaking the kiss, Daniel gently sets me down on the bed and settles himself on top of my body. My hands move up his chest to rip off his shirt, and once it's ripped, Daniel shrugs his arms out of the sleeves and tosses it aside. It was Daniel's turn to take off an article of clothing from me. In a flash he tears off the stockings from my legs with one hand, wads them up into a ball and throws it behind him.

All in one sweep, Daniel manages to slide off his pantsuit, and boxers while sliding off my own. The only thing I had on now was the slip. He reaches to slide it off, but my hand stops him. "I would like to keep it on if that's okay." I wanted to keep Daniel's interest at peak and if the lingerie was doing that, I had to keep it on.

Daniel assures me that it was alright by the nod of his head and a sweet kiss on my nose. He pushes up my slip just enough to give him room, adjusts himself before I suddenly feel him inside of me. I had not expected it to feel as… different as it was. Somehow, it felt like losing my virginity all over again but there was no pain, only the satisfaction of it all.

After a few minutes of Daniel's thrusting, my fingers comb through his hair as his head nuzzles into my chest, kissing the tops of my breasts that had managed to escape the slip. A sound escapes my lips, a combination of a moan and a cry. I felt so close to Daniel and wanted to become even closer. That's when I flip him on his back and dominant him; my hips straddling his own and I move them back and forth to keep the pleasure going for the both of us.

He groans in satisfaction after awhile of my hips moving and sits himself upright, so that I was on his lap and both of us were on our knees. Daniel pulls me back and forth just as I move my hips. We had never tried it this way but it was clear that we would be doing this more often now. We both make a sound of pleasure against each other's lips before Daniel's lower down to my chest, kissing it tenderly.

My fingertips graze his cheekbone, my hand holding his face to bring it back up to mine and kiss. I feel his teeth sinking into my lower lip, nibbling on it slightly.

I lower myself down, so that my back was on the bed again, and pull Daniel with me without breaking the connection.

We lie there for a while, making out while Daniel pushed himself inside me repeatedly, moving our bodies gently back and forth against the bed. It wasn't until I moan softly against Daniel's lips out of the increasing pleasure I felt, that I notice Daniel's veins and think of the substance that flowed inside them; the sudden urge to drink Daniel's blood. I then become reminded of what happened the last time I did so, it made me feel incredible, like I could feel his love coursing through my veins. I began wondering if Daniel would be able to feel the same thing too if he drank from me.

I pull my lips away to utter his name, "Daniel."

Unfazed, Daniel keeps up with the rhythm his hips had become accustomed to. Daniel continues kissing me, moving his mouth to my jaw line, just below and behind my ear. "Hmm?"

"I'm thirsty," I whisper. "And I was wondering if you could maybe drink from me while I drank from you."

Daniel's head shoots up, surprised that I even suggested that he drank from me. "What? Why would you want me to do that?"

I shrug, "I felt something the last time I drank from you and it was indescribable and I wanted to see if you would be able to feel it too." I kiss his cheek, "It honestly would mean a lot to me if we were able to do that. I think it would make us closer."

He smiles and nods slightly, "Okay, if it means that much to you, I'll do it." Without a warning, his teeth sink into the inside of my wrist. I wince at the pang of pain at first but after a minute of Daniel drinking, it was starting to feel nice. I see that his neck was leaning towards one way, giving me a chance to feed from the spot. My fangs pierce the flesh and soon, I feel the blood rushing into my mouth. Soon, I am welcomed with the feeling that had possessed me last time I had made a meal of Daniel. I feel him in my system, and I never wanted him to leave. I felt the love and passion Daniel felt for me, and I use it to fuel my body into loving him physically. This was the only way I could really show Daniel how much I loved him, but even this wasn't enough. I loved him more than life itself, it couldn't be shown or told by words.

I remove my fangs from his neck smoothly and embrace this feeling as Daniel continues drinking from my wrist.

Just as Daniel lifts up his head, I can feel him pushing in deeper and faster. He smiles, his fangs gleaming in the dark "You were right." I smile back when I notice that there was blood coming out of his wound, I lift my head and lick it off. His smile becomes wider just before he leans his head down and kisses me, and licks the blood that was around my mouth. I smile as I think about this night; it turned out to be fine after. But as long as I was with Daniel, every day and night would be perfect to me.

I moan loudly, compared to my other ones. I can feel my walls wanting to falter from the intense pleasure and bliss that I had felt. I hold it in longer, and wait until it was Daniel's time. And when it is, I release my walls and let out a string of moans.

Daniel and I are both out of breath, and are practically panting by the time Daniel rolls himself off of me and lies down next to me. I stare up at the ceiling grinning like an idiot, "That was probably the best sex we've ever had." I look over to Daniel and see him smiles and looking up like I had been, "For you anyways," I tease.

He chuckles. "From the sounds of it, you enjoyed yourself just as much as I did."

I blush, and don't say anything, still too out of breath like he was to say anything. Eventually, I ask excitedly and quietly, "Round 2?"

"Hell yeah," he nods in agreement at the same time I crawl on top of him.


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter 21_

I wake up the next morning, feeling different somehow. I feel refreshed, like last night was what I needed to get myself out of the weird state I had been in for the last couple of days. Slowly, I open my eyes and sit up, and immediately welcome the sunrise streaming in through the windows.

I stretch my arms over my head, and smile at the view of the sun rising over the Vegas strip. I didn't know why I was so happy, but I figured it was because of Daniel. Maybe it was because last night was the first night where we didn't argue or anything bad like that. Sure there were a few minor disagreements but it was nothing we couldn't handle.

Speaking of Daniel, I turn my head to see that he was sleeping; this was his first time actually sleeping in days. I decide against waking him up, he deserved his rest.

Instead, I decide to make breakfast. It would be easier if I just ordered food from room service but considering the fact that werewolves managed to find us and attempted to kill us last night, I didn't trust anyone in this hotel; let alone anywhere. Besides, I figured that cooking would be more meaningful to Daniel.

Carefully and slowly, I put one foot on the floor, and then the other. I look back to Daniel to see him still sleeping, unfazed. I slowly lift myself off of the mattress, not wanting to wake Daniel with my movement. I search for my lingerie, planning to use it later today hopefully but then I remembered that Daniel tore it when we got frisky for the second time. Damn him. I shrug, it was his money anyways. I tip over to the dresser, grab a pair of black lace panties, and pull them on. I see a black button up shirt hanging up on the back of the door. I take it and put my arms through the sleeves and button two slits, hiding part of my breasts, only cleavage showing along with my stomach exposed.

I close the door quietly behind me and bounce off towards the kitchen. I couldn't get the goofy grin off of my face, I was full of bliss. I couldn't pin point what it was about last night that made me so happy but whatever it was, I had Daniel to thank for it. Maybe it was the sex, or maybe it was the blood sharing, or both. Daniel felt what I was talking about the blood sharing, I just knew it. He felt the love that I felt for him, and the excitement that came along with it. If he ever doubted my feelings for him before, last night definitely proved otherwise. A lot of things happened last night, but Daniel and I arguing or anything that made us upset with each other wasn't one of those things.

I search the fridge for ingredients to make breakfast. Sure enough I find a carton of eggs, a bag of bagels, and other ingredients to make a fairly quick, easy meal.

Immediately I get a skillet, put the stovetop on, and start to prepare the eggs. I pour the already mixed eggs into the now heated skillet. While I wait for the egg to cook, I split a bagel and pop them into the toaster near the stove. Using my abilities, I quickly get out cream cheese and tomatoes from the fridge. I have the tomatoes cut very thin before I take out the salt and pepper and place them on the counter top. Once I am finished flipping the eggs over, I start to scramble them with the spatula and let them cook.

Something catches my eye then; I saw a flash of silver past the wall window from the corner of my eye. I put down the spatula on the counter and walk over to investigate. My eyes scan the Las Vegas strip a little bit before I look over to another tall building across the way. That's when I see a flash of silver fur enter through a door on a balcony. My eyebrows scrunch together in a frown.

There was no way it could have been a werewolf, it appeared too small to be that. Maybe it was a dog that was owned by a rich guest of the hotel across. It may not have been fur I saw, maybe it was feathers. Whatever it was, it was gone. I shrug it off and go back to the kitchen to the sight of smoke coming from the toaster. "Shoot." I murmur as I pull out the hot burnt bagels from the toaster's slits. I jog over to the trash can and the ruined pieces of bagel in.

"I thought I smelled something burning." I hear Daniel's voice behind me.

I smile before walking over to the toaster and popping in new two halves of a bagel, "Think you can do better?"

"Maybe." I can practically hear him smirking. I walk over and flip the egg over again. "I'll keep my comments to myself."

"You should have thought of that before you opened your mouth." I say playfully with a smile on my face as I turn to him.

He smiles back, and observes, "You're in a good mood… a really good mood." Daniel comes closer to me and soon I can feel that his hands are on me, not breaking the connection our eyes now had. His fingertips skimming my forearms as they slowly make their way down my body and to my hips, pulling me closer to him.

"I am in a good mood," I agree with him, grinning. My hands clasp together behind at the nape of his neck, "…I'm happy."

His eyes lighten up when I tell him this, and his smile becomes wider. "If you're happy then I'm happy." His smile doesn't leave his face. "And why are you so happy?" I ask, genuinely curious as to why he was. Knowing Daniel, he hardly was happy. Well, he was but not this happy. I had to know if it was because of last night, if it really meant that much to him like it did to me.

"Same reason as yours."

I roll my eyes. "Which would be?" I press forward.

His eyes switch from me to behind me and then back to me. "Your eggs are burning."

"Crap!" I turn my attention and body towards the stove, breaking Daniel and I's connection. I quickly remove the skillet off of the stove's burners, causing the flames to die down, and slid the egg off onto a glass plate. I check the bottom of the egg and see only a tiny burnt chunk; I rip it off and throw it into the trash. "The damage wasn't that bad," I inform Daniel. "Nice try though. You're avoiding my question. Why?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Who says I'm avoiding it?"

"Me. Because you're avoiding it right now." I sigh, "Daniel, why is it so hard for you to admit your feelings to me?" It was something that I just now noticed; whenever he reciprocated feelings toward me it was always when I made the first move. It was as if he was afraid to. "Why is it that you won't admit that you're happy?"

I look up into his eyes and wait for an answer. When he sees I'm not going to give up, he sighs and shakes his head lightly. "Damn, you're persistent." He takes in a breath before admitting to me, "It's because if I let myself admit to myself for one second that I'm truly happy, it becomes short lived. And I want it to last while it can." He smirks while quickly changing the subject, "You look sexy in my shirt by the way." He leans his head slightly to the side and lowers his head to kiss my lips but I push him back gently. "Why do you think that?" I ask in all seriousness.

He examines my blank expression before going on, "Because it's true. When have we ever had a moment last for us; a moment where we were happy and not close to dying?"

"Right now," I murmur.

"How much do you want to bet that it's going to get ruined soon?"

"It will if you keep talking like that. Daniel just revel in it, and enjoy it. Please just be with me and not think about the future, just like last night right?"

"Just like last night," he repeats. He nods, "Minus the crazy sex and blood sharing right?"

I roll my eyes, smiling, "I wouldn't say that. Maybe later, if I'm up to it." I turn my back towards Daniel and continue cooking, taking out the toasted bagels and spreading cream cheese over them. Of course I would be up to it but I couldn't let Daniel think he would be able to have me so easily.

When Daniel brings up the blood sharing, excitement and other emotions jolt me alive. I had no idea if the tone he said it in was a good thing or a bad thing; if he felt it and liked or if he didn't feel it and didn't want to do it again. I decide to ask, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, what is it?" Daniel asks as his fingers graze my waist.

I quickly change my mind, instead I say, "Maybe I'll wait to ask when we're eating. Is that okay?"

I turn to see his expression, and he was frowning from confusion. "Alright, that's fine. Need any help?" He gestures to the bagels.

"No, I'm fine really. You can go sit at the table while I finish up." I suggest and smile at him before bringing my gaze back down to the food sprawled out on the counter. I am topping off the two bagels with slices of tomato when I see Daniel walking away from me in the corner of my eye. He pulls a chair back, kicks his feet up onto the table and watches me as I cook up another egg. After awhile, I notice that he's still watching me with a gleam in his eye. I quirk an eyebrow, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shrugs his shoulders and says nonchalantly, "Just enjoying the sight of you in my shirt I guess."

"Mhmm." I mumble, doubtful that was the reason. "So, what makes you think that you can't be happy? You never really gave me the reasoning behind it."

Daniel closes his eyes and tilts his head back, "You really want to talk about this? Whatever happened to enjoying the time we have now?"

I sigh, realizing he was right. I didn't want to bring up anything that would upset him that would ruin our time together. "Fine, never mind then," I say softly, and focus my attention back to the food cooking over the stove.

"Don't do that."

I frown, "Do what?"

"Don't make me feel guilty for not telling you." I don't say anything, knowing that was a little bit true. "If you have to know, then I'll tell you." He goes on before I am able to protest, "It's the fact that everyone I've ever loved has abandoned me or is dead. Plus the whole Jackie situation back in the 18th century is still in the back of my mind." Daniel's head straightens and looks down at the tabletop. "It was ever since her that nothing has gone right for me. Well, until I met you. You're the only thing that has been right in my life since then."

Our eyes meet, and we go into silence. Not even the sound of Daniel's faint breathing fills my ears. All I can focus are his eyes, the way his eyes illuminate whenever he looked at me; he looked at me like I was the only girl in the world. I wonder if he saw the love I had for him in my eyes.

I'm the one who is forced to break away because the intensity was becoming overwhelming for me. "It's ready." I inform him as I slide the egg onto his plate. I walk over with both plates in hand and place one in front of Daniel after he removes his feet off of the table. I jog back to the kitchen and pour orange juice in two glasses and come back to the table and take a seat next to Daniel. "It's not much but I thought it would fill us up. You know, instead of drinking blood."

"If you want, we can rob the nearby hospital." Daniel suggests, "Or I can just open up a vein for you." He gives me a sideways glance that showed me he was serious.

I look at him for awhile, not knowing what to say exactly or what he really meant by that. Was it a reference about last night? Or was he really just offering to give me some of his blood, with no true meaning at all? I had to ask about our blood sharing, the anticipation of the answer was killing me. I clear my throat, "Can I ask you something? It's about last night…" I say drifting off.

"Sure, fire away." He agrees just before sliding a chunk of scrambled egg into his mouth.

"Umm." I say, unsure how I was going to word it. I didn't want to sound crazy or desperate by asking. I decide to be blunt with it. "How did you feel… about the… exchange of blood last night?" I examine his still face, searching for a sign that I wasn't crazy for feeling the way I did when we drank each other's blood. "Like, would you ever do it again?"

Daniel takes another bite of his food and doesn't look like he has been fazed by what I had asked. Instead, he stares down at the table's surface, chewing his food rhythmically. When he swallows, he finally looks up at me and says, "I don't know how I would describe it to tell you the truth. All I know is that it felt… good. It's strange but yeah, I would do it again."

A soft smile appears on my lips. "It meant that much to you?"

He smiles just as softly, "It did. There was this unbreakable connection, and it was like I felt what you were feeling. That sounds weird I know but it felt so real. It made me feel like I experienced love for the first time in my life. I was … human just for a moment."

"That's exactly what I felt." I reach for his hand and twirl my thumb back and forth across his knuckles. I can see how much it truly meant to him, and that gave me hope. Hope for a better future, hope that we would survive this upcoming battle, hope that we would always love each other unconditionally. With Daniel, I wasn't scared anymore; about losing him, about anything.

I was on the verge of tears just as I was about to tell him how much it meant to me too. Until I realize that Daniel was talking. "Lauren, I know I'm not the good guy and I don't think I'll ever be one but-"

"Daniel…" I say in a discreet voice. I didn't want him to think he was a bad guy, he was the opposite. He was probably the most selfless person I've ever met.

"Just, let me finish. Please." He says softly while staring down at our hands. I'm silent, which signals him to go on, "I'm not good, Lauren, and you know that. I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe and killing your father and his followers is the only way to do that. If anyone gets in the way of that, I won't hesitate to put an end to them. When I say anyone, I really mean anyone. I don't give a damn about anyone else. I will always choose you."

I stare at him, a little taken aback by his confession. It was sweet of him to say but him so willingly to take away another's life just to keep me safe scared me a bit. He said anyone, and I had a feeling that would include Rachel, my mom, or even his friend Alex. I knew Daniel well enough to know that he wasn't lying at all about that. Once he puts his mind to something, he's committed. And this window of opportunity to rid the werewolves and to keep me safe was one of those things he was committed to. He didn't care of how it got done, or if it made him a 'bad guy', as long as it got done was what made him so reckless with his actions.

I don't protest against his determination, knowing that we would get into an argument and this whole morning would be ruined. Instead, I smile and brush it off, "That really means a lot to me and in a weird way, it's romantic. Thank you." I lean over the table and press my lips to his for a second and sit back down. I look down at his plate and notice almost all of his food is gone. "Since when did you eat like a cow?!"

He laughs. "That's what happens when you keep staring at me, you don't notice things." I take a huge bite of my bagel and almost spill the contents pilled on it. I cover my mouth with my hand and chew, smiling when I hear Daniel laugh at me. "That's attractive." Daniel says sarcastically.

"Shut up," I manage to say with a mouth full of food. To be playful, I fling a piece of tomato at him and I see that it lands in the center of his chest. I gulp down my food before I start laughing uncontrollably.

"So it's going to be like that huh?" He smiles wide, and peels the tomato off of his chest. Instead of throwing it at me like I had expected, he holds it up and his face reads that he is contemplating something. When I'm caught off guard, Daniel tosses the tomato and it lands on top of my head. A fake grin spreads across my face. "It's on now." I warn Daniel.

Using my special abilities, I cut off a piece of egg and use my fork to fling it at him in less than a second. I hear the egg splat on his cheek just before it slowly peels off of his face. Daniel sits still, with a small smile on his face while he slowly bobs his head up and down. His tongue skims his lower lip while he stares at the wall of the living room. "That's it." Before I could react, he tears off a chunk of bagel and sticks it to my face.

I shriek with a goofy smile still of my face, "Daniel!" I balance my plate of food on a flat palm before I run away from him. As he is chasing me, I throw back pieces of food. I continue doing so until I feel his hands around my waist. He pulls me back into his chest and we both fall to the floor laughing. His arms are around me still; my back to his body as we continue laughing.

I turn myself over so that the front of my body was against his. Our laughter slowly dies down as we stare into each other's eyes. When our laughing is completely done, we turn serious as we gaze at each other, our faces not even inches away. I'm the first to break away and notice a small bit of cream cheese on his collar bone. My mouth skims his collarbone. I lick it off slowly, enjoying the taste of it as my tongue trails up to his neck, licking his skin softly. I stop at the side of his neck, in the middle; and that is when I begin kissing it tenderly.

The contact of my lips to Daniel's neck breaks when he rolls us over; I become the one on the bottom and him on top. I don't say anything, all I do is stare into his eyes and smile up at him softly. He tilts his head and moves closer to my face. He kisses my cheek gently before he does the same thing I did to him not too long ago.

Once the substance is gone from my cheek, his head pulls up so we are once again face to face, inches apart. Slowly, our lips come closer and close to each other until his lips are barely touching mine. I smile to myself before I close my eyes and the distance.

We're both gentle at first, I can feel that he wanted more but I wasn't going to let him have it so easily. After awhile, I decide to heighten things up by sliding my tongue teasingly. Of course Daniel takes the bait and kisses me roughly, and eventually I kiss back just as hard.

Daniel chomps down on my lower lip, holding it there for a second. He releases my lip and that's when I can taste my own blood, and that gave me an idea. Daniel takes small tastes of the blood just before I sink my teeth onto his lower lip just like he had done.

Now, our lips were both bleeding. I lick at his lip, tasting the sweet rustic fluid, it makes me want more. I pull away and head straight to his neck. Just as I was about to grow out my fangs, Daniel lowers his head down to my neck and kisses it; slowly making his way down my chest. He rips at the buttons of the shirt, the only thing preventing him to see my breasts and the rest of my torso. He continues down my body, at times, the tip of his tongue teased me; turning me on even more than I already was.

Finally, his lips stop just below my belly button. Suddenly, he stops kissing me. As I was about to look, that's when I feel it, his teeth pierce the skin of my stomach. Instead of feeling a slight ounce of pain, I instantly become aroused. A moan barely escapes me as his teeth go in deeper. My back arches when I feel even more pleasure from Daniel's blood drinking.

I put my head back against the carpeted floor. My eyes roll into the back of my head as I feel Daniel's tongue circle around the bite he put into me. With my eyes still closed, I smile to myself and let Daniel continue drinking from me.

Daniel and I both must have been so focused on the pleasure of it all that we didn't hear the front door open and Alex coming in with Haley. "What the hell is this?" Alex asked, clearly surprised to see the scene before her. I was hoping Alex was covering Haley's eyes.

I shriek. Daniel and I both pull away from each other when we hear her voice. My hands immediately reach up to top of the shirt, taking it and covering my breasts and Daniel's love bite. I put my knees up into my chest, trying to hide the fact that I was practically naked. Daniel was lucky he didn't have to cover up; he had his jeans to thank for that. "We weren't expecting you guys so early," I say, trying to take the attention away from what Alex had just witnessed.

"You could have knocked," Daniel says, a bit irritated.

"I don't think that would have helped. The way you two were going at it, it seems like you wouldn't have heard a thing anyways." Alex smiles and rolls her eyes, while a hand covered Haley's eyes.

"What's going on Alex?" Haley asks curiously.

"Nothing," all three of us answer at the same time. I mouth to Daniel, 'Can you go get me some clothes?' But instead of going into the bedroom to get me pants and a shirt, he just stays there and smiles. 'I like the sight of you now.' I glare at him until he gives in and strides off towards the bedroom.

I sit on the floor awkwardly while Alex looks at everything but me. Alex sighs, "I should probably get going. I got to check up on Natalie and give Haley to Shawn so he can watch her. So… yeah." She slices her hand through the air in a simple gesture to say goodbye. As she walks out I hear her whisper to Haley, "Future tip, never walk into a hotel room when you know your ex is by himself with his girlfriend."

I frown. Ex? I thought Daniel and Alex were only friends, I mean, that's what he told me after all. Why would he lie to me like that? I couldn't help but feel hurt and betrayed by Daniel. I become angered and sad at the thought but I had to be rational. I had to ask Daniel himself for a conformation. And he better hope to tell the truth for his sake.

Jumping to my feet, I stride over to the bedroom door and slam it open. "Tell me the truth, did you and Alex date?"

Daniel looks up, surprised and confused by my behavior at first. But then he realizes what I had just asked. Daniel doesn't respond and looks down into the drawer he was rummaging in, confirming my suspicion. "You two_ dated_?! And you didn't even bother to tell me?" In a flash, he is in front of me, and holds the tops of my arms. I try to shove his hands off me but he tightens his grip.

"Why are you so mad about it?" Daniel questions. I wasn't sure if he was serious or not; I was praying he was joking because he couldn't be that stupid to not see the reason to why I was I'm mad.

"Really? You really have to ask that?" I struggle underneath Daniel's grasp, "Get off of me!" He doesn't listen to my command. I flail my body out of Daniel's grip and I shove past him to my clothes laid out onto the bed. "You don't see the reason why I'm mad, do you?"

Daniel shakes his head, "You don't have a reason to be Lauren. Alex was an ex right after Jackie left me, she was a rebound girl. It honestly didn't mean anything. It lasted only a couple months until we decided we were better off friends, and that's all we are; _friends_."

I sigh, still not knowing if I could believe what Daniel was telling me. There was no way you could remain friends for over 100 years and not feel _something_ for them. "If it was nothing, why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I knew you would react this way and I didn't want you to meet Alex hating her. Admit it, if I had told you she was an ex before you had gotten a chance to know her, you would have hated her instantly."

He was right, but I wasn't about to admit it and that wasn't even the point. The fact of the matter was that he didn't say anything. "You still lied to me." I say quietly pulling up a pair of dark skinny jeans.

"Technically, I didn't. We _are_ friends and nothing more. Like I said it was all in the past and it shouldn't even matter anymore." Daniel says in a monotone voice.

I clasp my bra on and pick out a shirt from the selection I had, I end choosing a simple black and white boxy top. "Daniel, it's still a fact that you lied to me about your relationship with Alex! Current or in the past, it doesn't matter. I had the right to know before you even introduced us! Instead you acted like it was fine and that is what's really pissing me off!"

"It is fine because my relationship with her was before I even met you! It wasn't like I cheated on you! In fact, it's not your business to know every single woman I've ever dated in the _past_ or do you want to yell at me for not telling you about them too?! God forbid I have ex-girlfriends." It's clear from Daniel's face and tone that I went too far, according to him.

At first, I'm a little taken aback by Daniel's reaction. I was afraid to speak until I swallow back my shock and defend my case on this whole Alex situation. I wasn't about to back down on something that really bothered me. If I didn't like it, I was going to be vocal about it. "I'm not saying you cheated on me Daniel! I'm saying if I ever meet one of your ex girlfriends, then you should tell me that information before you act like everything is okay! I have the right to know who your ex's are before you start bringing them along for a road trip that doesn't even involve her!"

"You like Alex now, don't you?!" I don't deny it, it was true. I had no problems with her. He just shakes his head in astonishment and disbelief. He smiles, in the fake way where I know he's really angered. "This makes absolutely no sense to me. So you like Alex yet you're pissed about me not telling you that she was an ex? Shouldn't you be thankful that I didn't tell you? Otherwise you would blindly hate her instead of being friends with her like you are now."

"I like her, so what? It doesn't excuse the fact that you lied about just being friends with her! I had a right to know your past with her! Or did you want to pull off something like you did with Jackie? Since you do have a thing for sleeping with ex-girlfriends."

His smile instantly disappears and I am filled with shame and regret. I knew Jackie was a touchy subject but I had the thought of him sleeping with that whore constantly in the back of my mind. It makes me wonder if he would ever cheat on me again. And with someone he dated too, it was more likely. I had no idea if he still had old feelings for Alex and the only way he would act on them was to sleep with her. I didn't know what Daniel would do, and I hated it. I could see the hurt in his eyes and it made me want to cry, I felt so guilty. My voice is about to crack when I say. "Daniel… I didn't mean-"

I couldn't finish my apology because Daniel's voice interrupts me. His voice is a mix of resentment and hurt when he says, "Don't even bother Lauren. I get it, you don't trust me, and I'm a screw up. Clearly I'm not capable of making the right decision." His gaze leaves mine and he puts on a black T-shirt that accentuated his muscles.

"Where are you going?" I question quietly as he puts on a pair of shoes.

Daniel doesn't look at me when he says, slightly calmer, "I need to get away. Or maybe I'll go find Alex or any other ex girlfriend to 'pull off the same thing I did with Jackie' since you think so low of me."

Tears cloud my vision, I was so sorry for hurting him the way I had. I didn't want him to leave, despite our huge argument. Sometimes Daniel likes to get even or tries to hurt me like how I hurt him. Sometimes he didn't do anything at all. I had no idea what he was going to do and that's part of the reason why I want him to stay. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. I swear." When he doesn't say anything, I ask. "Get away? How far are you going?"

"Does it matter?" He retorts harshly just before he gets up and strides out of the room.

I let the tears I've been holding back escape as I run after him. "Please don't go. Can't we just talk this out?" I grab his arm and he stops but he doesn't look my way. "Don't leave me, I'm begging you. We can talk it over and forgive each other and act like this never happened. Please."

He looks at me from across his shoulder, a sideways glance. "It did happen Lauren, and I'm not so willing to forgive. I have nothing to be forgiven for in the first place. I don't want to talk, so don't try contacting me while I'm gone. In fact," Daniel fishes his phone out of his front pocket and puts it on the small table near the front door. "Bye, Lauren."

When he tells me bye, I instantly panic. "No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't. Please don't do this to me. I'm sorry Daniel. I'm so sorry. Don't go." My pleas don't faze Daniel; he walks out and slams the door behind him. I sob and fall to my knees, damning myself for being so stupid. I was stupid to accuse Daniel of cheating on me. I was stupid for being so insecure and so controlling. And I was stupid to let Daniel leave without telling him I loved him.


End file.
